Curse of Hatred
by dreamwithinadream262
Summary: Dying sucked. Reincarnation sucked. Being born into a murderous, coup d'état planning clan sucked even more. SI-OC
1. Chapter 1

**Summary Dying sucked. Reincarnation sucked. Being born into a murderous,** coup d'état **planning clan sucked even more. SI-OC**

 **I'm back, after** **a bazillion years. I truly hope this'll be something that I see from start to finish, although a lot of planning will have to happen for this to continue. I make no promises, but hopefully, this can be something great. Also, super dramatic, because I've always loved drama- and as we know the Uchiha Clan can never be far from it- but I digress.**

 **I'm hoping with this fic to get into the more political aspects of the Uchiha clan, and the duality between the Will of Fire and the Curse of Hatred. Let's hope I get far enough to explore these subjects- and yes, I know the Uchiha's get all the love but come on- they're pretty awesome. At least they're not as bad as the Hyuga.**

 **So here's** **a new first chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **~oOo~**_

* * *

The 50 meters of concrete sidewalk that separated her house from the corner store seemed like a world's distance at this moment. The plastic bag weighed heavy in her arms, her hummingbird heart beat wildly in her chest. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. She felt small under the eyes of the fluorescent lights and hold of linoleum tiles. Briefly she considered the events of her life, and a feeling of pure disappointment settled into her bones.

Across the room, through aisles of products the splatter of the cashier's blood painted a cruel picture of humanity. When she'd walked into the store he'd offered her a dazzling smile, framed by tired eyes. Now, he was reduced to a bloodied heap on the floor, exposing humanity's secret of being nothing but matter. He'd tried to be the hero, and that's the legacy his family would be left with.

Her ears were still ringing from the gunshots.

"What did you do?! Is he dead?!" A young, frantic voice yelled somewhere from the left. She couldn't see him, but imagined he was the kid she'd previously spotted eyeing the security cameras. He'd bumped into her before, a genuine "sorry" whispered under his breath. All bones enveloped in plaid and cotton, allstars embellished with nonsensical scribbles: a teenager. He was someone she could've been friends with, but now, despite their similar ages, they seemed leagues apart. Too young, too high strung, too able to be manipulated, and now an accessory to murder.

"I- I didn't know! He just jumped at me man! He just jumped and I-" The other boy shook in disbelief.

"You killed him!"

The words seemed too casual.

"I-I-"

"Give me the gun."

Shuffling, a click of the safety, wet footsteps. One moment of silence.

"We're going to hell for this."

More footsteps, this time in her direction. She shrunk lower into herself, her clutch of the bag making her knuckles turn white. Well, now she knew what she was, not a fighter, nor a flighter- just paralyzed; pathetic.

Air. She needed air.

There was only one emotion left that she could feel. Something completely primal and all too familiar, but not to this extent.

Panic.

In permeated everything.

Her heart was pounding as if it would break out of her chest.

From the moment bloody sneakers came into her view, she knew it was all over. Her eyes swept up his shredded crimson-sprayed jeans, to his rugged patched jacket, the downturned baseball cap, and then his face. Resolution. It was set in the clench of his jaw, in the detached withdraw of his dilated pupils, and his rigid posture. The cold metal of the gun glinted in the light, his expression a mixture of shock, regret, and resolve.

Again, he whispered an apology, a rather polite thing to do given the situation, and raised the gun.

There was no time for bargaining...it would've been useless anyways.

BOOM!

The first sensation she felt was pain, unbearable, unimaginable pain. In movies, when a person got shot, it was poetic, the way the light faded from their eyes moments after impact - but that wasn't reality. Reality was suffering, and thinking- A weird sensation of air where air was not supposed to invade. Blood draining like an unattended faucet, and time slowing down, although it seemed like it was passing too fast.

This was it.

She thought in her last moments of the life she'd taken for granted, of the missed opportunities, the unsaid "I love you's" and most of all, the faces of her parents, friends, and what would happen next to them. She thought of the boy and his friend, and how fate had brought them all here in this unfortunate moment- except she didn't believe in fate. It was just life and the nature of it. Maybe she'd been foolish to ignore how exactly imminent mortality was.

Soon the police would come, and what started out a normal day would be known to everyone. It'd be in all the newspapers and on all the local news channels. Her picture, the picture of the cashier, of the teenagers- and the press would make money off of the entire tragedy. Her family would be interviewed, her obituary written, and a stone placed on the ground to mark that she had once existed.

But most of all...after all of that another emotion surfaced. Fear. Fear and anger.

Why her? Why now?

Why this?

A million questions that would be left unanswered. What brought them to this decision, what did they need the money for? Why? Was was she the witness- the victim.

One last terrifying thought of the afterlife flashed.

Her view of the floor filled with crimson and black spots started to dot her vision.

 _I don't want to die._

Then the lights turned off.

Black.

* * *

Ayumu Uchiha watched the smoke from his cigarette dissipate into the air and pondered at that moment at how fleeting life was.

If he had known this thought would be a premonition to the rest of his day's events, he would have gone back to bed with his wife for a few more hours while he still had the time...but of course he didn't, because he was a shinobi, and therefore, a slave to discipline and habit. At 5 a.m., whether the sun chose to rise with him or not, he was awake and prepared to work.

Masa had always said that his discipline and dependability was what made her fall in love with him in the first place, and he always joked at how much of a cliche thing it was for her to say that as an Uchiha. She would simply laugh, and would never deny it- because that's who she was, who they were, and they were proud of their heritage.

Even if it seemed at times that it was hard to do.

As Ayumu took in the sight of Konohagakure illuminated under the the early morning sun's rays, he couldn't help but feel contemplative about the recent, and prospective changes in his life. He had recently been given a promotion in the Konoha Military Police Force, a post he'd taken up to be closer to home. He could hear His wife, _his heavily pregnant_ wife's quiet contented snores a few feet behind him, and the village…

The village was the same as it had always been, more or less. It was the dream of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha that had come to fruition. Every day Ayumu walked the streets of Konoha where the children of all clan backgrounds pulled pranks on one another, and where he could buy flowers from the Yamanaka's, eat barbecue from an Akimichi restaurant, lose at Shogi to a Nara, and severely piss off a Hyuuga.

It truly was a dream, albeit one that could easily dissolve into a nightmare.

His only hope was that his child could live in peace, far away from the battlefields of war. Although somewhere in his heart he knew that was almost impossible.

"It's too early to be thinking," a muffled voice yawned from behind, the grogginess of having just woken up evident in her tone. "If you keep staring out that window you're going to be late for work."

"I've never been late for work." He quipped as he turned around, a saccharine smile perched on his lips. Someone once told him that Uchihas couldn't exist without love, and at that moment he couldn't help but think they were right, because as he laid eyes on his wife, his pensive thoughts from before faded into oblivion.

"Yet." Masa slurred. Even with the bedhead, she was a vision obsidian locks shot out in multiple directions, some reaching as far as her growing belly. The length was a new style she'd adopted since going on maternity leave, as kunoichi usually kept their hair in more convenient styles. If anything, the pregnancy had only compounded her beauty, or at least in Ayumu's eyes, as it let them experience something akin to normalcy, as if they were civilians and could afford to indulge in more trivial matters.

Maybe she could retire her shinobi career and he wouldn't have to worry about their future...but it'd take a lot of convincing.

He'd leave those matters to the future version of himself.

"Ayumu, don't get lost on me again." He heard her say. "I swear one of these days I'm going to lose you to your own thoughts."

"Maybe." He replied, and began to walk towards the door in mock apathy. It took five steps before he heard what he was waiting for.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Ah, how he loved domestic life.

"How could I forget?"

He swiveled around and chuckled at her almost childlike looking expression at the notion of him leaving, and went to sit back down on the bed. Placing one hand on her cheek, he set a goodbye kiss on her mouth and another on her belly.

"Satisfied?"

Masa grinned.

"Mmhm. Have a good day at work."

"I'll try my best."

And with that, Ayumu set out like he did every day, a skip in his step and a fire in his heart. Moments like these made his world complete. Afterall he'd need as much optimism as he could get if his smile was going to survive the rest of the day.

His job was to maintain shinobi law, but in reality, it was a ton of paperwork. Insulting really, for a highly skilled shinobi such as himself; who definitely hadn't spent so many painstakingly filled hours of sweat, blood, and tears training for the greater good to staple reports and proofread outgoing letters. He hoped this promotion would at least give him something more engaging to do, like actually helping in dispelling some inter-clan disputes.

But of course, he would rather there be no inter-clan disputes to mediate at all.

It didn't take that long to reach the Hidden Leaf Military building.

"Morning Uchiha-san." The doorman greeted, and in an uncanny display of friendliness, he chose to respond back with a more enthusiastic "Hn" than his fellow clansmen. They all threw amused glances at him, and some rolled their eyes muttering about "young-love", but otherwise paid no heed.

Fugaku met him at the stairs, his brows slightly furrowed in annoyance. If it had been a year or two earlier, that slight annoyance would have been full out exasperation- but Fugaku was more mild-mannered these days given the introduction of his firstborn Itachi a few months ago- although judging from the bags under his eyes, the transition into fatherhood hadn't exactly been the smoothest.

Ayumu would have to ask him for a few tips some other time- but right now he was on the job, his clan leader was _right there,_ and _she_ was counting on him.

Fugaku wasted no time.

"First I would like to congratulate you on your promotion and dedication to our cause. I trust that Yakumi has outlined your new responsibilities?"

Ayumu nodded and hoped nobody noticed the slight narrowing of his eyes at the mention of the name. As happy as he was about the new job, the excitement did not extend to the prospect of having Yakumi as his new boss. The man was known to have staunch anti-Senju sentiments, and his constant discussion of the subject didn't exactly scream "neutrality."

"-I don't have much time so I'm going to be frank: I have a Hyuga dispute to meditate today, so I'm leaving the inner clan affairs in your hands for the time being." Suddenly a stack of folders was shoved into his arms. "Your first appointment is down the hall. Good luck."

And with that, Fugaku promptly puffed into a pile of smoke...or at least his shadow-clone did.

That man truly was busy if he couldn't talk in person; which reminded him that he didn't have that much time to waste either.

He quickly hurried down the corridor for his first case of the day.

Hopefully, it would be interesting.

Twenty minutes later, he figured out that he would have rather stayed a secretary.

"-So what you're saying is that you trashed your teammate's apartment because...?"

"He deserved it! He was saying that I was never going to become Hokage if I was so weak that I couldn't even awaken my Sharingan!" The boy with the orange goggles sputtered his face red as a tomato at this point. _Obito_ was his name. Never in Ayumu's life had he met such a high-spirited member of his own clan. Whoever this Kakashi character was really set Obito off.

And was the reason for Obito to be sitting in his office right now.

"-I can't wait til I actually get it so I can wipe that know-it-all smile off his face and show him what it really means to be a Shinobi!" The boy continued. "And next time I'll burn his rulebook too. If I have to hear about 'putting the mission first' again- I'm going to-"

"Hold on, hold on-" Ayumu interjected, successfully quieting the boy. This was all starting to give him a very painful headache. No wonder Fugaku shrugged these responsibilities on him. "Take a deep breath okay. Nobody is using their Sharingan on their teammates."

Obito pouted and slouched deeper into his chair, obsidian locks casting a rather malevolent shadow over the top half of his face.

Disciplining children had not been in the job description, but it was good practice that was for sure. He only hoped that his child would be less high-strung, because if not, he didn't know how he would survive.

"When I get it I'm going to surpass him and everyone will see..." It was the omission of a child who just wanted to be recognized.

Ayumu sighed. This was getting him nowhere.

"Obito, be patient. You have plenty of time to activate your Sharingan. Just focus on the academy. Just-"

 _Try to stay a kid for as long as you can, because there's no going back._

All this talk was reminding him of when he had first discovered his own Sharingan, a memory although long past, was not long forgotten. Sure, the dojustu had proven him useful throughout the years but it would have been much more appreciated if it hadn't been garnered through bad experiences.

Sometimes he could still smell the metallic scent of blood in the air and hear the whispers of a once very familiar voice all lost to time.

"But I need it to protect my precious people!"

 _What an Uchiha thing to say._ Perhaps, years prior, he had said the same.

"It'll come with time, don't worry about it."

"But-"

"shhhh..."

Finally, some peace and quiet.

Maybe it was time to change tactics- to try something more unorthodox.

"Obito." At the mention of his name, the boy perked up. "Who do you live with?"

It was a standard enough question.

An awkward expression accompanied this response. "Granny. She lives not too far from here actually. In fact, I can see this building from my house."

"And your parents?"

"Their names are on the KIA stone." Obito admitted.

"I see."

It was a matter of fact reply, not much emotion accompanied it. Many parents names were written on that stone, including Ayumu's- so he didn't think much of it. It did , however, give some insight into the character in front of him now. An orphan it seemed, who wanted validation and would do anything to prove to others that he was worthwhile. A textbook case in the ninja-world really.

Ayumu wrote something along the lines of that on his session report before putting his pen down and getting straight to business.

"Obito, what is my job?" He questioned. The onyx-haired boy simply slouched further into his chair.

"...To maintain law in the village."

"And why exactly do we have to do that?"

A pause.

"Because if you didn't everything would be thrown into chaos."

Ayumu smiled. "I knew you were a smart one. As you know the Konoha Military Police Force was founded by Tobirama Senju and its authority handed to our clan as an act of good faith to maintain village relations...It is our _honor_ to serve the village in this way."

Obito sighed. Everyone knew that.

Ayumu's voice turned chiding

"And you see, It becomes hard to maintain this duty when member's of our clan are running around destroying each other's property. These types of offenses reflect not only on the individual but the Uchiha clan as a whole. You do understand why it is important that we try to keep the Uchiha name from scrutiny, right?"

 _Because we have to work harder for the village's approval._

More grumbling.

"Obito?"

"Yes...I understand." A sigh. "But still, I don't understand _him_."

More talk about his teammate it seemed.

"Hn. Why?"

A roll of the eyes.

"Because everyone thinks he's so great." The boy's face betrayed disgust, or perhaps jealousy? "Oh Kakashi you're so amazing! Kakashi play ninja with us! Oh look it's Kakashi, the youngest academy graduate!" He snarled. "Everyone thinks just because he's a prodigy he knows everything, but he doesn't even know what it means to be a true ninja."

"Oh?"

"He doesn't have to work hard to get what he wants. And then he, he criticizes me for-" Obito paused, and contemplated something. His frown slowly changed into a grin. "You know what, it doesn't even matter. Sharingan or not I'm still going to beat him- and when I become Hokage, he'll be taking orders from me! You'll see old man!"

 _Old man?!_ He wasn't even 25 yet.

Ayumu deadpanned, that wasn't exactly the response what he was looking for.

Whatever. This was taking too long.

"Okay...well just..." For a moment he was speechless, attempting to process what the genin had said. He was getting mental whiplash from the boy's mood changes. "Just promise me you don't do something like this again okay? Because next time there _will_ be much more severe consequences than sitting here with me."

A mock salute in his direction.

"Yes sir."

It wasn't that convincing, but it'd do.

"Good. I'm going to let your sensei know that we've talked. Just get back to the academy," he cast a cursory glance down at the young Uchiha's records "...and **don't** be late." A brief look at his standard-issue field watch.

"You have 2 minutes."

Obito promptly jumped out of the chair and raced down the hall.

Ugh, this job was already giving him a headache.

When he finally left the room, Ayumu glanced up and saw Fugaku running towards him, a concerned expression on his face.

 _Damn, how bad had that Hyuga meeting gone?_ Their cases were always a nightmare with the added main house-branch house dynamic which required them to deal with each problem differently depending on the statuses of the parties in question- but after years of responsibility, the Force had adopted methods to help navigate these situations. Maybe there was more urgent work that needed to be done? Maybe he could help?

"I just got done with the Team Minato Case. I'll have my report done in-"

Before he could finish, Fugaku uttered six words that would change the course of his life.

"It's your wife. The baby is coming."

He didn't need to be told where to go

* * *

 _BEEP...BEEP...BEEP..._

"Her blood pressure is dropping rapidly!"

"-I can't get a read on her chakra- enter the protocol for acute chakra depletion stat!"

"Somebody call a Hyuga!"

Something was _**wrong.**_

At first, it was a dull throb in the back of her subconscious, something annoying and hard to ignore, that went from a small confusing inconvenience to a rapid expansion of anxiety.

"Masa please don't give up on me. Please. Fight"

 _BEEP...BEEP..._

Alarm bells screamed in her mind.

Something was trying to get in.

She wasn't awake, but her soul was, and it was terrified with only one emotion coloring the spiritual plain. It was primal fear, one that hadn't needed any explanation or provocation- it was just there- all-encompassing and too palpable.

"I see the head! PUSH!"

"There's too much blood!"

 _BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP_

She was choking on it, her consciousness screamed at its invasion- the pressure was too strong. There seemed to be a struggle amongst it all, although the forces at play were a mystery. The players in this game, whatever it was fought furiously against one another until something slipped and the floodgates opened.

And then, it was just over...for only a moment.

People say that before a Tsunami reaches its destination, the ocean is unnaturally calm; that the waters recede almost deceitfully and goad unfortunate people into a false sense of security. That is, until the waves return, too fast and intense to escape, and trap everything in its path.

This was a tsunami, but not of water.

Light. Blinding, brilliant light exploded in the recesses of consciousness. Whatever had invaded had succeeded in its journey and settled like nuclear fallout in every atom of her being.

It was transforming her, and she couldn't fight it.

Later, much later she had learned that was the moment that Chakra had entered her body, or more specifically, her soul. Of course, it was years before she even knew what chakra was, but, the tumultuous introduction to this world was only but a prelude to the chaos she'd eventually witness.

If anything, that was the easy part.

Her first true moments of reality went like this:

Crying. Frustration. Confusion. Discomfort. Pain.

"It's a girl!"

Crying. Someone was crying.

 ** _Who_ **was crying? Was it her?

 _BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP_

Flatline.

"Masa, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."

"Doctor, call it."

"Ayumu...your eyes..."

"NO!"

The first thing she saw was red.

* * *

 ** _~oOo~_**

* * *

 **Dramatic ikr.**


	2. Chapter 2

_"What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love."_

 _Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov_

* * *

 ** _~oOo~_**

* * *

Red.

Red everywhere.

In the sickening crimson puddle of hemorrhaged blood on the once pristine floors; on the gloves of the midwives, and in the spiraling tomtoes of Ayumu's newly achieved Mangekyo Sharingan.

From the moment the monitor registered the last beat of Masa's heart, Ayumu Uchiha's transformation was inevitable. Masa was dead, and the otherwise excruciating fire burning behind his corneas were nothing compared to the fury of his heart.

 _It_ hurt

So bad.

And there was no remedy to make it stop.

Masa's face wore an expression that Ayumu knew too well, an expression he'd seen too many times on too many people in too many battlefields. Flashes of old memories crashed through his mind in paralyzing waves. The sight of his grandfather's peaceful smile in his casket at the first wake Ayumu ever attended. His fallen teammates during the chunin exams; his friend's cut down during the old days of his Anbu career. They had all went out like candle flames snuffed in the night, with pitiful smiles on their faces. He'd seen many men and women die throughout his years of existence, but never once did he consider the most painful loss in his life would be behind the fortified walls of the city, in a place he called home. His own backyard.

To an outsider, it would seem like Masa was simply asleep. Sweat shone on her forehead like beads of opals. Almost hesitantly Ayumu tenderly stretched a hand out to her and traced the outlines of her cheekbones, down her jaw, and settled on her lips. When he discovered they were still warm, he flinched back as if he'd been shot.

Warm. She was still warm. The echoes of her life were there.

But her face was pale, all too _pale_.

She wore the same pitiful smile as his comrades, and it was his fault. They'd never considered the risks of childbirth. This was never supposed to happen. It was ironic really, in a world where severed limbs could be reattached with ease, and eyes could be tossed around like baseballs- that women still were susceptible to death while doing the one thing that contradicted this world: giving life.

"No…" This time a whisper of defeat. The others in the room were deathly quiet, scared that their simple exhale was an intrusion to a scene they all felt unwilling voyeurs to. The maternity ward was supposed to be a place of joy. A place of hope. Not today.

In the fog of sorrow, Ayumu registered a sound in the background. Crying. A baby was crying.

Their baby. _His child_.

A sudden sense of urgency raced through his veins as he turned around to find the baby, but as he turned around to face the doctors, he caught of something downright terrifying in the window reflection. A creature faced him in the glass, stringy onyx hair, feral expression, fiery crimson eyes...No not something, _him_. His reflection. His Sharingan whirling. His- his Sharingan was-

"Oh." A realization...and then laughter. Downright maniacal laughter.

He was a man unhinged.

Afterall, everyone knew what happened to Uchiha's who'd lost his best friend.

Malevolent chakra rolled off his body in dark waves, and everyone took a collective step back, except for one person. Hideaki Hyuga moved like the wind, within seconds reaching Ayumu and sending the man reeling into unconsciousness via pressure point. He couldn't let Ayumu make eye-contact. It would be the undoing of them all.

"Contact the Third Hokage, and Fugaku, Now!" His deep baritone voice echoed through the room.

"Y-Yes Hyuga-san..." The attending chakra specialist bowed and fled to the safety of the hallway.

Wha-What was that?" A terrified voice from behind. A civilian doctor- they hadn't seen the true effects of bloodline traits in action.

Nobody answered the question.

Hideaki's milky-white irises landed on the incapacitated Uchiha, and then to his own fingertips where the Uchiha's chakra had burnt him. His lips turned down in displeasure. This was such a mess. He barely had time to think about it before he heard footsteps from the hallway. The medic-nin were here.

 _Perfect._

The door opened. Three young men in standard-issue medic-corps uniforms shuffled in. If the newcomers were suspicious about the circumstances of being called to the maternity wing at such a time, they made no point of voicing it, a testament to their training. They simply waited to be commanded, and Hideaki obliged.

"Take him to Sector 8, and keep him away from the other patients. Use as many chakra suppressors as you can. Whatever you do, don't make eye-contact," Some raised their eyebrows at this," Tie him down so he cannot hurt himself, and _don't_ speak of this to _anyone."_

"Was it...?" One of the medic-nin stepped forward. Black hair, pale skin. An Uchiha- whose eyes lit in recognition at the unconscious man. Concern was washed in the clench of his jaw and the almost imperceptible tremble of his hand.

 _Was it the Mangekyo?_

Hideaki nodded in confirmation. The medic's lips into a solemn thin line. He said nothing more and helped his fellow medics carry Ayumu out of the room. A great shinobi, reduced to the one weakness they all shared in common.

"Hyuga-san... " A whisper to his left. The nurse was holding the child in her arms which was still bathed in her mother's blood. A rather puny thing, maybe four or five pounds with features that were strikingly telling of her familial origins. His gaze flickered from the newborn to the deceased woman a few feet away, and then to the door where her father had been carried out. In that moment, despite all the hardships he'd dealt with throughout his position in the branch house of the Hyuga Clan, he felt true pity. Her life had already started with two strikes against it.

"Check for any chakra-exposure related damages and isolate the nursey. I need to speak with Hokage-sama." And with those final words, Hideaki started down the halls, all too aware of the full implications of today's events.

When he reached the monolith that was the Hokage's tower, he wasn't surprised to find an assembly of people already summoned to meet, some he recognized, and others he didn't. The most striking presence in the room besides Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Uchiha Patriarch, Fugaku Uchiha, who wore a very impassive expression on his face- or at least tried to. Worry was evident in the slight downturn of his lips and the steeliness of his eyes. The medic who was sent to relay the message stood without flinching in the corner, the Uchiha from the Medic-Corps sat rigidly on one couch with his fists balled, and two Anbu stood guard over the doors.

As Hideaki bowed to Lord Third, Hiruzen nodded behind him to signal for the Anbu, and the messenger to leave. Then, without hesitation, the old man stuck his hand out firmly to the wall where a sudden light illuminated the room before dying down. He'd and activated a barrier seal. The meaning of the gesture was clear: No information would leave this room.

"Now that we don't have to worry about prying ears," Hiruzen started with a look that could cut a man "We can officially start this meeting. What happened, Hyuga-san?"

Hideaki's recount of the events was curt and unfeeling.

"I was called upon to monitor the chakra levels of a woman who was in childbirth, but when I arrived the situation was already dire, and it was already too late perform the Mystical Palm without causing greater damage. Uchiha Masa is dead," Upon that declaration, Fugaku's expression dimmed, his suspicions confirmed- but he knew he wouldn't have been simply summoned for that.

"And-?" The Hokage beckoned for more.

"Ayumu Uchiha unlocked the Mangekyo Sharingan."

Hiruzen's brows furrowed in disdain, but it was Fugaku who spoke this time.

"So then, you are aware of its existence?"

For the most part, the level of the Dōjutsu kekkei genkai was still a heavily regarded clan secret, not unlike the secret nature of the Hyuga's own Byakugan. Even the history books had been rewritten to erase any mention of the ability and stated that Madara had ambiguously unlocked _"great power._ "

"During the war I served under Lady Tsunade in the first wave of medic-nin in the support platoons. I've been on the battlefield with many Uchiha comrades over my lifetime and have seen many go through the transformation."

It made sense after all...the Second Shinobi World War was where Fugaku had also unlocked his own Mangekyo along with many of his clansmen. Those were the days when the army had still, for the most part, been divided in divisions by clan- which made it very easy for one to see his own comrade cut down mercilessly. They'd done it to protect the secrets, and even had Uchiha medics especially relegated to their divisions, just like the Hyuga had- but as the war waged on and the need for medics of any kind superseded the importance of archaic clan practices, it was inevitable that Medic's were privy to more than a few clan's secrets.

"Then you know of the full implications of its attainment...?" Fugaku inquired attempting to see just how far Hideaki's knowledge ran. The depth of how far the man had penetrated into the Uchiha's secrets could spell many things for their future because if he knew... _others knew._

A curt nod. "I do not know the specifics of how it is attained, or which exact abilities come with it, but from my observations I've deducted that the Mangekyo manifests itself when an Uchiha comes under acute emotional distress; which is why I subdued Uchiha Ayumu before he could do more damage to himself or the others."

Almost right, but far enough from the mark to not be one-hundred percent alarmed. The criteria was far more sinister which meant...which meant

 _Oh God_

Ayumu Uchiha felt responsible for his wife's death. His best friend.

Fugaku didn't want to imagine the kind of guilt the man had felt. When Mikoto had gone into labor was one of the only times in his life he'd actually been terrified. It was a situation that he couldn't help, but he had to trust the doctors. He'd felt so _useless_ then...but it'd passed, and everything turned out for the best. He'd been so proud when he saw his son for the first time...but...but what if on that day something went wrong. What if Mikoto...?

 _No._ That kind of thought was unproductive- there were more serious matters to attend to.

"And where is he now?" Hiruzen's inquiring voice snapped him out of his reverie.

Hideaki nodded to the Medic-nin sitting on the couch.

"S-Sector 8 sir. We suppressed his chakra for the time being, and isolated the wing from outsiders."

 _Sector 8?_ Fugaku's temper flared. Sector 8 was for those who had lost their minds- people that were a danger to society, not for grieving men who had just lost their spouse's in the worst way possible.

"Is he an s-rank set out to destroy the village?" The question was rhetorical and doused in the most bitter of sarcasm.

Hideaki's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"It was a precautionary measure..." A second of contemplation, "...sir."

 _Precautionary measure._ Of course, it was. _Of Course._ Uchiha's weren't allowed to grieve, they couldn't just be grieving men. They were a seen as a threat, and the village would never change. He shouldn't have been surprised.

"Hn."

He was a pot of anger seconds from boiling over.

"Regardless if he is one of our own we can't ignore the risks. He is ex-Anbu and-" Hiruzen stalled, eyes locking on a flash of fabric beneath the Hyuga's clothing "Hyuga-san what happened to your fingers?"

Eyebrows flew up in surprise. A small detail easily missed. It seemed the old man was still painfully observant.

Hideaki removed his hands from his billowing, blood-stained sleeves. All eyes were drawn to his calloused fingers where angry vermillion blisters streaked the once ivory skin. A recent wound it appeared to be, less than one hour old.

"From when I touched the man. He had a very peculiar chakra signature. It'll heal fine."

They all took in the sight with a deadly sort of solemnity. Hiruzen had averted his gaze to the dents in his desk deep in deliberation, and Fugaku? He was conflicted again. The burns were proof that the man he'd seen roaming the halls of the Military Police Force halls with a dazzling smile on his face only hours earlier was unsafe. Proof that their actions against him were valid in some way. Proof that Uchiha's were dangerous.

The Third Hokage cleared his throat and looked up, the full gravity of the situation weighing tremendously on his conscience. When he spoke it wasn't with any more questions or vague statements- it was with the full authority of the God of Ninja forged from the Will of Fire.

An order.

"The details of this incident are to remain classified. No one will know. We have no reason to alarm the villagers further, and I fear that this information can only be used to the detriment of the Uchiha clan."

Finally, something Fugaku could agree with-but, of course, the action wasn't to simply protect the clan's secrets, but from public scrutiny.

"Hyuga-san, get a list of all who were on staff today and report to Yamanaka Inochi. He will be in charge of sealing their memories. Keep the hospital isolated and under no circumstances let outsiders near Sector 8. If any person asks, you're guarding a returning ANBU whose identity must be protected. "

Hideaki nodded, accepting the orders, although the thought of erasing memories didn't set very well in his stomach.

"Uchiha-san, you are to tell your clan that Uchiha Masa died in childbirth, and Uchiha Ayumu is recuperating from his loss in a special location- _including_ the elders. If anyone gets suspicious, I allow you to use whatever force you deem necessary."

Fugaku bowed.

"I humbly accept your orders, Lord Third."

"Great. Now that that's out of the way I have one last question."

This time, the true Hiruzen emerged from his placid mask of professionalism, honest eyes betraying hesitant concern.

"Did the child make it?" He asked as if afraid of the answer.

This time, Hideaki was happy to answer with something positive.

"Yes." The tension in the room decreased tenfold as everyone was relieved to hear the news. "The child is alive. They are monitoring her for any chakra related damages as we speak, but she will be fine."

 _Her._ Fugaku noted and his heart clenched. Did the mother know she'd given birth to a daughter or had she died before that? Did Ayumu know or had he been knocked out before that too?

Hiruzen sighed in relief.

"Good to hear. Update me on her condition as soon as new information is available. "

"I will have a full report on your desk tomorrow morning," Hideaki replied.

"Thank you." His weathered hand reached back towards the wall where he disbanded the barrier seal. "You are all released to carry out your orders."

They all bowed in sync before turning on their heels to leave, each with thoughts of the day weighing heavily on their minds.

Outside, Fugaku caught the retreating form of the young medic-corps officer who'd been in the meeting and supplied them with the whereabouts of Ayumu's location. He was sure he'd seen the young man somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it, there were too many names to remember as the head of the clan.

"You-" He called out authoritatively. The young man whipped around immediately as he recognized the voice of the Patriarch. "What is your name?"

A hasty bow. "Tobirama Uchiha sir, from the fifth division of the Medic-Corps serving under Sarutobi Biwako. My father was Uchiha Kagami."

 _Tobirama Uchiha._ Fugaku remembered him now. How could he not remember a man who bore the name of the Hokage who was responsible for his current vocation? If he remembered correctly, Uchiha Kagami has served very dutifully under the tutelage of the Second-Hokage. Obviously, his father was close with the man if he'd named his son after him. However, besides that he also knew Uchiha Tobirama for another reason...

"Ah-" A lightbulb went off somewhere in his head. "You are Shisui's father are you not?"

He'd seen the toddler babbling around the Uchiha complex more than once.

A sheepish smile grew on Tobirama's face. "Yes I am. My wife and I are very blessed. Congratulations on the birth of your son as well. Itachi, right?"

"Yes, Itachi, thank you- I wish we could have talked under more pleasant circumstances, but I digress. How do you know Uchiha Ayumu?"

"We-" Tobirama's voice faltered momentarily,"We were placed in the same genin team post-academy. I've known him since before we both unlocked our Sharingan. He's a good man. It's a shame this happened to him."

"Yes it is." Fugaku replied almost mournfully. "He's very well regarded at the Military Police Force. I got the call about his wife, but I never would have thought..."

"-Me neither." Tobirama frowned. "Masa was always a strong woman."

A few seconds of tense silence passed until Fugaku continued. He wasn't here to exchange pleasantries and talk about things they couldn't change.

"Anyways, I'm talking to you right now because I have a favor to ask of you, in case Uchiha Ayumu's stay in Sector 8 is more than temporary."

Tobirama's brows furrowed. If he was catching Fugaku's drift then...

"You don't think they would...that they-"

"I don't know what will happen..." His eyes narrowed into accusative slits, "But in this village, I wouldn't be surprised if there are some who would try to benefit from this tragedy."

Tobirama darkened in understanding. "I see. You are right. What are your terms?"

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"If Ayumu does not make it out of Sector 8, I want you to make sure the child remains safe. Find someone trustworthy within the clan- whatever it takes."

Eyes widening, the other Uchiha took a moment to regain his composure before nodding solemnly.

"Of course I will. If it comes to it."

Hopefully " _If"_ wouldn't be the reality.

"Thank you for your dependability." He clapped the man on the shoulder and stared deep into his eyes where they shared a mutual understanding. It was a conversation without words, something they were masters at because of their backgrounds. A stare of solidarity, of reassurance, but most of all, a stare of _warning_. When they severed eye-contact, they knew they were on the same page. "I'll stop wasting your time now. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Tobirama's timber voice trailed after him like a whisper in the night.

Fugaku mused that the both of them would not get much sleep tonight with all of the drama that had unfolded over the past hours, but he let those thoughts slide for now. All he wanted in the present moment was to be back home in his comfort zone, with his wife and child away from the chaos of the village.

The moment he arrived at the main Uchiha compound crossed the threshold of his home, these yearnings reached their peak.

"Fugaku you're home early." A light feminine voice chirped. The owner of said voice turned the corner of the hallway and within seconds, Fugaku had her wrapped in his arms.

 _Mikoto._ He could hear her drumming heartbeat against his chest, her ebony hair against his cheek, her breath fanning against his neck. She was warm, _alive_ , fully there.

"F-Fugaku what-" She squirmed in his grasp, attempting to take a look at his face but he held her firmly, arms tightening around her midsection in protective, but gentle hold- as if he didn't she would somehow disappear. After a few moments of recovering from the shock, the tension in Mikoto's shoulders slacked and she gave up on her inquiries and instead returned the embrace. Call it intuition, but it seemed to her something bad enough had happened in the day to trigger this uncanny show of affection. Something _bad._ She didn't want to know what it was, and she was sure he didn't want to talk about it either- so she didn't ask. They stayed like that for a while, heartbeats syncing with one another's until a cry reached their ears.

" _Itachi_ " Fugaku mumbled, releasing her and heading straight towards his son's room. When he reached the crib, Itachi's squirming, pudgy hand arm reached up and wrapped his fingers around his father's pointer finger, and he smiled. His son was alright. His wife was alright. He was _so_ blessed.

"Fugaku," Mikoto whispered, from the doorway "...Is everything alright?"

He didn't have the courage to face her, especially when she spoke like that because he'd have to lie.

"I'll tell you later when the time is right," he murmured,"I promise."

"Okay," She breathed, and left it at that.

Although Fugaku didn't know his premonitions were correct at the time, it would only be a matter of a few hours before Tobirama Uchiha would be on his doorstep to tell him that Ayumu was dead.

And _that_ is where _her_ trouble truly started.

* * *

 _ **~oOo~**_

* * *

 **Hey, back again, exactly one month later! Betcha all thought I was dead or something. So yeah, Masa's dead, Ayumu is dead...and our main character is already screwed a few hours out of the womb. Who is she going to live with I wonder...I'll give you a hint: it's not going to be with Shisui (although I do really love Shisui and he'd make the best sibling in the world) From now on there isn't going to be so many random OC characters like Hideaki or Shisui's dad in the plot. They all mainly existed for this exposition, and trust me, things are about to rev up.**

 **Anyway's thanks to everyone who is reading this and those of you who have already favorited, followed, or reviewed this story! Hope you are all having a wonderful Holiday season! -and if you're feeling a bit generous...maybe drop a review?**

 **See ya'll next update!**


	3. Chapter 3

" _The difference between treason and patriotism is only a matter of dates."_  
 _― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo_

* * *

 ** _~oOo~_**

* * *

An exhausted medic-nin stood in the corner of the nursery. The events of the last weeks replayed like a bad movie.

Red eyes...pile of blood...baby wailing.

This profession was still full of surprises, it seemed.

It had been a month since Uchiha Masa had died...one month since they'd found Uchiha Ayumu dead in his cell at sector 8. _Suicide_ they had confirmed.

 _Suicide._ The medic frowned. In his short career he hadn't seen many, but when they involved Shinobi it was always a somber affair.

 _Suicide._ A few years prior he'd seen his first one. Another shinobi- a _disgraced_ shinobi- who also had a child. When they'd brought in the corpse the ward was silent, in respect but also in awe. The man had fallen so far from grace in the eyes of the village, it only made sense that he'd succumb to the controversy...but the act was still shocking.

At the service in the hospital, there were only a few visitors. He had peeked in, a voyeur to the tragedy, and had seen the silhouette of a silver-haired child. The child was the spitting image of his father...not only in looks but also ability, he'd heard. The child, academy aged- had just watched the casket with a sort of detached apathy.

 _Suicide._ It had claimed the lives of some of the most powerful forces of Konoha. Forces who were destroyed- not by opponents, but by their own minds.

"Suicide," the medic-nin whispered, rubbing his tired face "This is so crazy..."

From across the room, a baby started to cry. The medic-nin got up from his chair and went to attend to the child. That was his job in this whole mess- to be a guard and an observer of sorts. He was there to monitor if the child had retained any damage from the whole debacle. In the past month, all he'd been a witness to was crying and more crying. Thankfully, it had seemed the child was alright.

He strode across the room and peered down at the nursery crib. A wailing, fussy, baby girl stared back, eyes tearing and snot running. Her face was the replica of her mother, a miniature of Masa. That was the souvenir the child would be left with- the only remnant of her parents being her face. Life was cruel that way...but it was how many of their childrens' lives began.

Before he was about to pick her up, another voice echoed into the room.

"Is that...Ayumu's child?"

He recognized the owner of the voice. It was Uchiha Tobirama.

"Yes." He turned around and saw the man. His countenance was damper, an appropriate response given the circumstances. The two men had been friends, he'd heard. "Are you here for her...?"

Tobirama nodded. "A suitable guardian has been found her amongst our clan. Is she stable enough to leave...?"

There was a hidden question there. _Did the Mangekyo do any damage?_

The Medic-nin nodded. "Yes. She's fine," a pause "...Completely normal."

Tobirama visibly relaxed at the word. _Normal._ Well, as normal as possible.

"Thank you." It was a statement full of gratitude, "For watching her during this time."

"Just doing my job." The Medic-nin countered. "You'll have to sign some release forms before you go, however. I'll get them for you."

And then, Tobirama was left alone with the crying child.

Since the whole incident, he had been unable to return to the hospital without a sense of guilt to his former teammate and friend. Every time he returned to the site the memories of the mangekyo, and Ayumu's instability came rushing back. _A nightmare._ He'd put in a request to change positions a week prior. He wanted to escape the hospital and the memories.

Fugaku's request from before came to mind.

 _"If Ayumu doesn't make it out of sector 8, I want you to make sure that the child remains safe. Find someone trustworthy within the clan...whatever it takes."_

Of course, he would. Not just for Fugaku...for his former comrade and dearest friend.

He looked down at the baby.

"Shhh, everything is going to be alright."

He hoped.

* * *

 _3 years later_

* * *

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

She groaned, flipping around the futon.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

Her ears were ringing- something was buzzing.

 _Tap._

No, not a buzz. A voice.

" _Chiyo-"_

A familiar voice- weathered by time.

"Chiyoko."

The voice was getting louder.

"Chiyoko, wake up!"

Eyes fluttered opened. A wrinkled, kind face came into focus. The woman wore a pleased smile, the offending hand used to wake her still raised in the air. Her countenance was pleasant- matronly, maternal.

 _Granny._

Good Morning." Granny greeted, laying a gentle hand on the girl's face. "How did you sleep?"

"Good." The childish voice replied. She didn't know a more complex adjective to describe it. Just, _good._

Granny smiled endearingly in response. "Well, I need your help with something. Are you up to the task?"

This time, it was the little girl's turn to smile.

Three years ago, the older woman would have never imagined that she'd wake up to the care of yet another child in her ripe, old age- but life was full of surprises, and not all of them unpleasant. Three years ago it was when she had received a knock on her door that would again change her life. She had been privy to much life-changing news this way- usually bad. The first time someone had knocked on her door in such a manner it was to inform her of the death of her husband- the second time, the death of her son. So, when she opened the door on that day she prepared for the worst, and not for the sight of a shinobi with a child in his arms.

Tobirama Uchiha had stood there, with a weighty request from their clan leader; to take charge of the newly orphaned child. Naturally, she could not have said no.

And so, her life changed again that way- through the simple knock on a door. Overnight, she had acquired another child.

A child, who, had grown into quite the lazy toddler.

The little girl stared at her with hooded eyes. It would take some effort to coax her out of bed today.

"What kind of task...?" She was diving under the safety of the covers again where it was _warm-_ but her refuge was short lived. With one tug, Granny pulled the blanket from the bed, and Chiyoko immediately felt the chill of the morning air. That, and sunlight. She tried to shield her eyes but it was a futile endeavor.

Well, she was definitely awake now.

Blanket in hand, the woman started towards the kitchen- but not before answering the girl's question.

"We're making riceballs today for your brother- and I need your help."

Chiyoko groaned.

"-and we're also going to the market," Granny added. An afterthought, but worth mentioning.

That made the girl sit up instantly. Her eyes were as big as dinner plates.

"The market?!"

"Yes," Granny confirmed, "But only if you get ready fast."

As soon as she'd said it, the little girl was already starting her morning routine.

Within the hour, they set off to the City Center of Konoha, grocery lists in hand- and when they got there, well, it was a sight to see; as always.

 _Packed._

That was the first word that accurately described the narrow street in which most of Konoha came to conduct their business or run errands on any given morning. Vendors sold a various assortment of traditional and seasonal delicacies, seamstresses showcased the newest trends in fashion from all over the Ninja world, and weapons dealers conducted business with the many Shinobi who ventured the streets. It was a place where two worlds collided- where villagers and clansmen alike shopped for their daily bread- but most of all, it was a street that enchanted Chiyoko.

When she had first gone with Granny to the marketplace, she had marveled at the sights of the intermingling clansmen and villagers, each dressed according to their rank and status. In the Uchiha compound, it was a sea of onyx-black hair and navy-blue shirts...but the marketplace was so _colorful._ So _different,_ so... _odd-_ but she couldn't place exactly why she felt that way. She was awed, but also something about the whole scene felt off. _Foreign?_

She had clung to her grandmother's hand tight the first time, in both fear and intrigue due to the ...foreign sights, but also because she was a three-year-old girl and everything was bigger than her and therefore, frightening by nature. The older woman, on the other hand, had shown no sign of surprise at the unnatural colored hair that many of the villagers who walked by possessed. She had not faltered at the sight of the weapons some of the strange men yielded- or to their alarming clothes. She had acted as if the entire scene was nothing but _normal..._ and it was, normal- then...why did it make her feel so _strange?_

Now she didn't hold on to her grandmother's hand as tight as before, but some things were still surprising- like the abundance of men in green-flak jackets who casually strolled the marketplace as if they weren't carrying deadly weapons on their person.

 _They're Ninja._ Granny had explained to her when she'd first seen them up close and hidden behind the woman's legs. Some of the men sported wounds and scars that could only be described as _frightening_ at best. _They work for the village to keep us safe._ Like soldiers, the girl rationalized- and a fleeting image of men in green uniforms came to mind and disappeared as soon as she'd thought it.

Now she sought them out in the crowds- they were the true subjects of her curiosity- which is why she _loved_ to go to the marketplace. If not for the interesting things she saw there, then for the occasional treats Granny would buy.

She was, after all, a three-year-old girl- and what did a kid love more than sweets?

"Chiyoko," The older woman addressed, gaining her attention. They had now stopped at one of the many stalls that littered the street. "Would you like to try some?" She asked, gesturing toward the array of pastries that were on display. A stack of fish-shaped cakes stared back at her. _Taiyaki,_ her mind supplied- but she had never seen it before so how did she know that?

A slow nod yes. Granny smiled and ordered some from the man. She gave the smaller one to the little girl and they resumed their walk, pastries in hand.

Chiyoko bit into the dough. A subtle but sweet flavor exploded on her tongue. It was delicious.

"Do you like it?" The older woman prompted, and Chiyoko nodded fervently. "It's Anko," Granny explained smiling. "Red bean paste- a specialty of our village."

 _Village._ There was that word again. Although the girl was limited in her vocabulary being well, a toddler- something inside thought that was a very underwhelming description of where they lived.

 _Konoha_ was that place in question. Chiyoko had heard her Grandmother mentioning the name a few times. _We live in Konoha._ Well, the full name was Konohagakure- but it was quite the mouthful for a toddler, so Konoha it was.

They continued to run their errands.

First, to buy fish imported from the Land of Water, and then to buy rice from the local store. For this task, Granny instructed Chiyoko to wait outside of the store until she finished purchasing her items- to which the girl gladly complied. Standing outside of the shop, she sat down and _watched._

Outside the shop to her right was a group of assorted clansmen, although she couldn't really tell which clan each man belonged to. The only clan she was familiar with at this point was naturally her own, and there didn't seem to be any Uchiha among them. One of the men had a dog with him, which Chiyoko couldn't help but want to stare at- although the canine didn't look like the friendly pups that they had at home. This dog was oddly...professional in appearance. She has seen a few like it in the marketplace before, always belonging to people with brown hair and strange red markings on their faces. The man who this dog seemingly belonged to also had the same markings.

She continued to observe them, and in doing so- heard snippets of their conversation, not that it made any sense to her what they were saying.

"-Skirmishes along the border-"

"-Diplomacy amongst the villages are in shambles-"

"-Might be looking at a war if this continues-"

Their conversation was meaningless to her- except for that one word. _War._ It made her uneasy- but again- _why?_ Something about it just sounded...bad. And from their tones, Chiyoko concluded that it _was_ a word that indeed meant something bad. _Really_ bad.

Lost in her train of thought, which was more or less a conglomeration of thoughts that she did not yet have the skillset to connect- she failed to register the figure that was walking in her direction. It was only until a hand clamped on her forhead and gave her head a shake that she looked up startled- and when she did look up, a rapturous smile broke out on her face.

"Chiyo-chan I did not expect to see you here today," The warm voice of Tobirama Uchiha said from above. He removed his hand from her head, but not before ruffling her hair more. "Is Granny with you?"

Chiyoko nodded. She liked Tobirama. He was nice, stopped by their house sometimes, and _always_ gave her sweets. She never noticed his sad, fleeting glances her way when she wasn't looking, however. Instead, she noticed that today he wasn't wearing his standard-issue Konoha-flak jacket- which was his usual outfit. He may or may have contributed to her obsession with the Ninja.

Tobirama only smiled in response and turned behind him to another small child. He had been on an outing with his own son Shisui- and this was a special occasion due Shisui's recent promotion to the next class at the Academy. Being a ninja, Kagami didn't get to spend much quality time with the boy during missions, so he tried to make the best of any free time he had- including today. As he and many others knew- time was a valuable commodity in their profession. You could never know when yours would suddenly run out. Like Ayumu...

"Shisui," Tobirama prompted, "Can you stay here with Chiyoko while I go inside and help obāsan?"

The boy nodded yes, and Tobirama disappeared into the store, leaving the children alone with one another. They didn't say much to one another, or at least at first. They simply stood next to each other, Shisui standing as her temporary guard of sorts. Despite both being from the Uchiha clan, they couldn't have looked more different. Chiyoko was more-or-less a civilian, while Shisui exuded the discipline and maturity that only a child-in-training could possess. His posture was perfect, and although wearing a casual expression, he was silently surveying their surroundings- a force of habit as it were.

He was, in short, the perfect Uchiha child; but still undoubtedly, a child- which is why, when Chiyoko offered him some of her leftover Taiyaki, he gleefully accepted while muttering a pleased "thanks."

Beside them, the group of clansmen's conversation had died down- and the group seemed to disband and leave in different directions. One of them ended up walking past the two Uchiha children, a man with a very distinct "x" shaped scar on his chin. Chiyoko watched him curiously, while Shisui stiffened beside her. As he passed, his eyes turned cold at the sight of them. No, not just cold- downright contemptuous. Although his gaze only lasted a millisecond, it conveyed the most concentrated message of distrust and hate. It confused her.

Chiyoko unconsciously took a step closer to Shisui, who still had his arm raised mid-bite of Taiyaki.

And then...the unknown man just resumed his walk and disappeared around the corner.

The strange encounter made her stomach turn.

 _Who was that?_ was all Chiyoko could think. Well, whoever he was she knew that she never wanted to see him again. He made her feel scared.

"Mean man..." she remarked, a frown tugging on her lips.

Shisui hummed in agreement.

They stayed like that in silence until Tobirama returned with Chiyoko's grandmother in tow- although he was the one carrying all of her bags. Chivalry wasn't dead it seemed- or perhaps, familial piety as the concept of knights did not really exist in this world. Nevertheless, Kagami's actions were courteous, so the elderly woman thanked him graciously.

"Thank you Kagami-kun." She gushed as they exited the store. "Men like you are what make our clan worthwhile."

He only smiled and patted Shisui on the shoulder. "Just trying to set a good example for the children. Speaking of which, how is your brother?" This time, the question was directed at Chiyoko. She beamed, completely forgetting her dour mood from moments prior.

"Great!" But it sounded more like _gweat_ due to her clumsy voice. "We're making rice balls for him!"

"Oh really? Lucky man." A genuine grin, "Well, Shisui and I have to get going now. We're off to buy some new kunai."

"Your father told me about your promotion. Congratulations young man." Granny said. "My grandson also tells me of your accomplishments at the academy. You should be proud."

A crimson blush bloomed across Shisui's cheeks at the unanticipated praise. Although a prospective ninja, he was still a reserved boy. "Thank you." He responded.

Then, they all waved goodbye, departing in separate directions. Chiyoko and Granny headed back home, carrying the bags evenly between them. One elderly woman and a small girl. They made a great team.

On the way back, Chiyoko bombarded Granny with an onslaught of questions- mostly about how to read the signs of the shops they passed, or inquiries on whatever came to mind. Some of the questions, however, turned more serious.

"Granny, what does war mean?" The little girl inquired all too sweetly. The older woman was baffled by the random severity of the question.

"Why do you ask?" She asked back, wondering where the girl had even gotten the idea to ask the question from. It hit too close to home in light of recent events.

Chiyoko pursed her lips.

"Some men were talking about it." A pause, "Is it a curse word?"

"No," Granny corrected, although the mentions of it in this village could provoke the same reactions, given their bloody history and the current political climate. "But it is not a good thing."

"Then what is it?" Chiyoko pursued.

"War is..." the grandmother struggled to come up with a description that was both accurate but still simple. Past memories of the village came to mind, mostly of the Second Shinobi World War. There had been so many casualties then. "War is when people hurt each other."

The little girl frowned.

"Why do they do that?"

"Well, sometimes it's because they don't like each other."

An image of the scarred man's glare surfaced to mind. He didn't look like he liked her.

Then "Why don't they like each other?"

The questions were starting to become hard to answer. Why didn't people like each other? Usually, it was for stupid reasons- reasons that either stemmed from greed or jealousy and then were perpetuated by time. It was like asking why some villagers still harbored distrust for Uchiha despite their loyalty to the village. Granny hoped the little girl would never be subject to the same scorn- people seemed to be more open nowadays but in the older generation ill-sentiments were kept alive.

In the distance, the faces of the previous Hokage came to view. Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's faces stood watching over the village. It was a monument to inspire hope- and one that reminded them of the past. Hashirama Senju...it was his dream, and the traitor Madara's...

"Sometimes," Murmured Granny, "People don't like each other because they have been told to."

Chiyoko contemplated that. _Because they have been told to?_ That didn't make any sense in her mind. But sadly, it did make sense. Prejudice was a learned trait.

"Why?" She questioned _again._

Instead of thinking on a reply, she just said: "You're full of questions today."

That effectively silenced the girl. They continued their walk.

Although wearing a pleasant smile, the questions the little girl had asked unnerved the elderly woman. Not just because of the disconcerting nature of war, but - the girl was becoming more inquisitive every day. Her questions had become more complex. It signaled growing up, something children did much faster here- and Granny didn't want her to know the horrors of their world just yet. She dreaded the day when those questions would be more probing- more revealing. The day Chiyoko would ask about her past, or her parents, or why she didn't have them- and Granny wouldn't have answers for her. She hoped she would live long enough to see Chiyoko find those answers for herself; but for now, things were good and simple- and she would make sure it stayed that way as long as she could.

If Tobirama hadn't knocked on her door that day, she didn't know where the child she loved would have ended up. Probably in one of the many crowded orphanages in their city- where children where taken care of and _taken advantage of._

They had arrived home now, it seemed.

Side-by-side they cooked together. With many hands, although one set was clumsy and uncoordinated- the process went by quick. Where was once an empty table, twenty fresh riceballs stood. It made Chiyoko grin. They had accomplished something. Although her's were a bit misshapen...she felt proud of them.

"Now Chiyoko," Granny said, "Can you bring them to the training fields?"

The past hour's antics had used up most of the woman's energy. Although she was youthful in spirit, her body was still aging.

Chiyoko grinned. "Yep!" And dashed toward the table.

"Don't forget to pack some for his teammates!" Granny yelled after her.

Chiyoko was ahead of her.

Grabbing a large basket that they kept near the door, she wrapped up the riceballs carefully and set out on her task. The basket was heavy, and hard to hold so halfway through the journey she resulted to dragging the thing- but she was resolved to complete her journey.

It was always exciting when she got to visit her brother when he trained. He was like a superhero to her- her knight-in-shining-armor.

He was nice, and always had time to spend with her. He taught her a fun game called _Ninja_ and said he was going to be one. At first, it all just seemed part of the game but on multiple occasions of witnessing him practicing at home, she couldn't help but believe him. She couldn't believe when he'd admitted that he wasn't even the best one in his class- because everything he did was amazing. She was his self-proclaimed number one fan.

Nowadays he spent more time away from home than at it, much to Chiyoko's displeasure. Granny said it was because he had missions to go on, whatever that meant. Every time he returned from these "missions" it was always in great fatigue and with the addition of new injuries. When that happened she would sneak into his bed, crying that she wanted him to _stay_ home, and he'd just laugh and say he couldn't. He'd say he needed to _study_ more.

Now, Chiyoko wasn't old enough to go to school yet so she didn't exactly have the experience to know what he meant by that, but she thought he must go to superhero school with the things he was learning.

Maybe this time she'd actually catch a glimpse of what his Sensi was teaching them!- that is, if she didn't get lost on the way.

She hurried her pace.

Thirty minutes, and lots of basket dragging later, she made it to the training fields.

Now the fields, if they could even be called that- were more like a _forest._ Thankfully, her brother's team always trained in the same one- there were more than forty across the village- so she was confident she could find them...eventually.

Ambling over to the entrance, she kept her eyes peeled for a boy with obsidian hair much like her own.

Instead, she was greeted with the sight of trees, trees, and... more trees. Trees that, from her perspective, were as big as skyscrapers.

And then, from a distance, she saw him.

His onyx locks were plastered to his face with sweat. Dirt and mud decorated his clothing. He was on the ground- probably in the wake of another mock skirmish.

In her excitement at seeing him, Chiyoko did not hesitate for a moment before calling out his name.

"Obito!"

At the mention of his name, the boy in question whipped around, a beautiful smile blooming across his face when he saw her.

Yes. Definitely her brother for sure.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned.

She raised the basket.

* * *

...

 ** _Did you see that one coming?_**

 ** _Also, here are some notes regarding the timeline of this fic in regards to this chapter._**

 _ **Obito is 11 in this chapter. Shisui is 6, hence his somewhat "mature" but still childish attitude.**_ ** _Itachi and Chiyoko are 3._**

 ** _Did anyone catch who the "disgraced shinobi" and "the man with the x-shaped scar" were?_**

 ** _Until next update,_**

 ** _-dreamwithinadream262_**


	4. Chapter 4

_"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."_

 _― G.K. Chesterton_

* * *

 _ **~oOo~**_

* * *

"These are delicious! Well done Chiyo-Chan."

That was Rin Nohara's voice. She held one of the girl's misshapen riceballs in her hands, a grateful smile perched on her now-full mouth. Their training session had been brutal today- Minato-Sensei was doing his best to prepare them for the next upcoming Chunin-exams. They had already attempted the exam once, but only Kakashi was promoted that time. For the past few hours, they had reviewed _everything._ Taijutsu, ninjutsu, Minato had even taught them some more advanced genjutsu techniques. So, needless to say after the past few hours of vigorous training under the stifling Konoha sun they were all exhausted. The free food was more than happily accepted.

Chiyoko blushed from the older girl's praise. Although she didn't see Obito's teammates often, she could not help but like Rin.

"Yeah- they're great! High-Five Chiyo!" Obito exclaimed from her right, one hand reached out expectantly while he used the other to scarf down another riceball. She met his hand midair in a _SMACK!_ He stuffed another into his mouth before collapsing back unto the bench satisfied. "Ahh that _really_ hit the spot..."

He wiped some sweat from his bow. He had put his all into their training session. Becoming a Chunin was the next vital step to becoming Hokage. He wouldn't let this opportunity pass _again._ Failing once had been a huge blow to his ego...but to fail twice. No, that was unacceptable.

"We should get back to training..." the monotone, almost bored voice of Kakashi drawled. He wrapped up what was left of his riceball. It was a nice improvement from the bought meals he usually had at home but it was also a distraction. Eating could wait.

"Maa maa Kakashi," Obito slurred, "-doesn't your rulebook say anything about taking a break. Rule Seven: A shinobi must always know when to recharge?"

That earned a laugh from Rin and dry glare from the silver-haired shinobi. That was rule fifteen, not rule seven. If the Uchiha had ever opened the damn book he probably would have learned a thing or two about how to be a _real_ ninja and not dead weight. He would also learn that the correct phrasing was " _conserve_ _energy",_ and not " _recharge."_

From her seat beside Rin, Chiyoko watched the boys' conversation unfold like a dutiful audience member to a show.

First, Kakashi had blandly retorted something patronizing along the lines of "If I were taking the chunin exams for the _second_ time, I wouldn't slack," and then Obito had begun to yell. Rin tried to intervene and play peacemaker, but her attempt did nothing to placate Obito's aggravation...and Chiyoko just watched in mild distaste. She really couldn't exactly comprehend what was happening...but she didn't like the looks on their faces.

Their voices were getting louder now, mostly just Obito's. It grated on her ears.

Rin blanched. Those two...were like clockwork.

The pattern was always the same afterall. Obito would say something, Kakashi would say something- they'd argue. At first their rivalry had been comical...but now it was uncomfortable every time they began at it again. Rin didn't like it.

Chiyoko also didn't like it.

Now, she didn't know much about the silver-haired boy that always seemed to be the subject of Obito's scorn, but he didn't _look_ that bad. A little mean and aloof in her eyes, on account of the lack of pleasant smiles he spared her way and the disconcerting nature of his constant wearing of a mask-, but he was _supposed_ to be Obito's friend, she had thought. People usually didn't spend that much time with people they didn't like, or at least that's how the little girl rationalized it. All she knew about Kakashi was from the few encounters she'd had with the group, and he was neither friendly nor hostile...just...there. The only signs she saw that he even knew she _existed_ were the fleeting, acknowledging nods he sent her way whenever she saw them. Other than that...nothing.

She didn't get why they seemed to dislike each other so much. First of all, how could anyone dislike _her_ brother? And Kakashi...?

If anything, the most she'd heard about Kakashi, or Kashi as she liked to call him because she couldn't pronounce his full name right, was from the many stories Obito told at home. Usually, about him wanting to surpass him, or how 'that Hatake jerk' thought he was better than everybody else. When Chiyoko had asked Obito what jerk meant he'd ignored the question.

Anyways, what mattered was that the two boys _were_ arguing again. Something about dedication, although Chiyoko didn't really know what that word meant.

An indignant glint in Obito's eyes. She didn't like the sight of it. It reminded her of the eyes of the man in the marketplace. Kakashi looked on in mild irritation, saying something that ultimately scandalized the Uchiha. And then, just like that their bickering had turned to something deeper.

The sound metal unsheathed and the flash of something shiny caught her attention...but in a millisecond it was gone- replaced with the _whoosh_ of air and a yellow flash. When she opened her eyes she saw her brother and Kakashi with knives, no- _Kunai,_ pointed at one another. A man with sunflower hair and cerulean eyes stood between them, one arm on each of the boy's kunai-yielding ones. His look was of downright disapproval.

 _So fast._ Chiyoko thought. She would have been awed if not utterly startled by his sudden appearance.

"Sensei!" Rin exclaimed.

Minato Namikaze stood between the two boys, who now gazed almost sheepishly at their sensei. _Almost,_ because they were more regretful for have gotten caught than fighting in the first place.

"I leave for one second and you two are at each other's throats again." Minato tsked, and then his voice turned deadly serious. "Attacks are supposed to come from your opponents, not each other."

 _Chiding,_ his tone was. It made Chiyoko shrink into her seat as is she had done something wrong, although she knew she didn't.

Teamwork. Would they ever learn?

To her credit, Chiyoko didn't look away from the almost-battle. _Knives._ They had essentially pointed knives at each other. Knives that were...sharp. Granny always told her not to play with sharp things. She said they could _hurt_ someone.

Her pudgy face crumpled into a frown. The riceball in her hand felt a lot heavier now. No, she wasn't hungry...not anymore. Rin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but concern was also evident in her eyes.

" _He_ started it!" Obito accused glowering under his trademark orange goggles. "He _always_ starts it."

 _He always thinks he's better. He always thinks he can look down on other people. He's always wrong._

Kakashi blinked apathetically and just sighed. "Why would I start a fight on purpose with someone below my level?"

If Obito wasn't enraged before, he was now.

"If I had my sharingan-!" a blatant threat.

 _"If."_

At this rate...never.

Minato was starting to lose his patience with both of his students. Especially now, they should have been embracing each other's differences. He had tried to teach them that maxim from the beginning, but it hadn't stuck. This two...if they couldn't compromise and set aside their misplaced aside...well, it would be the undoing of them all. On the training field, this behavior was a mild inconvenience...but on the battlefield...

"Stop it. _Both of you."_ The Jonin finally chastised, his tone effectively shutting the boys up. "There's no time to be fighting when we have to prepare for a mission."

 _Mission._ Now _that_ got all of their attention. Kakashi and Obito's defensive positions dropped immediately. Chiyoko was relieved that their kunai had dropped as well. However, _that word_ also had an effect on her. _Mission._ It made her frown. It meant Obito would be leaving home again.

"Mission? We have a mission?!" Obito exclaimed excitedly. They hadn't gone on one in ages!

"That's odd...I thought they didn't assign missions when the chunin exams were underway..." Rin murmured...although she had heard from other teams that recently there _had_ been an uptick in assignments. Usually just border patrol, they'd said. Maybe they were being assigned the same thing? If that was the case, there was a _lot_ of border patrol going on recently...which meant...

Kakashi almost rolled his eyes at his teammate's useless comments. He was more deliberate in his question.

"What rank?"

Minato glanced his way. _Always to the point Hatake._ He was about to elaborate on the assignment, but before he had the chance, his eyes fell upon the sight of a small Uchiha girl who shrunk under his gaze.

 _Hmm..._

"Perhaps we should talk about this another time." He relayed. " _Alone."_

* * *

That night Obito had returned with news that confirmed Chiyoko's fears. He was indeed going be away from home for an indefinite amount of time on their new mission. He'd informed them of this development over the dinner table. Granny's reaction was resigned acceptance, while Chiyoko was a bit more vocal about her displeasure. She was, after all, still three. Her brother's random comings and goings were so jarring and unpredictable, it was always an inconvenience.

"But I don't want you to go." She'd whined as he tucked her into bed. "You promised we'd play together!"

"We can play when I get back." Obito placated. "And with the money I earn, I'll buy you a new toy."

Bribery. He was trying to bribe her emotions. But it wouldn't work. He knew it wouldn't, but he still tried anyway. Chiyoko had been stubborn since the day that Granny had brought her home. She wouldn't be so easily persuaded. The two of them were similar in that way.

"But you promised. you promiseeedddddddddd!"

Chiyoko frowned. The thought of him going away was becoming more stressful the more she thought about it. She didn't want another toy; she wanted her brother to be at home where they could play ninja together and he could tell her more stories about his teammates.

Obito just sighed. It was obvious that if there would be no winning in this conversation. Reasoning with a toddler was like arguing with Kakashi over his dumb rulebook; that being, both were impossible; and he _would_ know.

"I know. I know."

So he tried starting a new one. A strategy to distract her. _Changing the topic._

"So," He diverted, "Granny tells me you had an eventful day." A pause. "What did you do?"

This made the girl's wailing stop. A new, contemplative expression overtook her features at his question. It was making her think. As her mind flooded with memories from the events of the whole day, her troubling thoughts of Obito leaving faded.

"We went out to the market." She informed.

"And..?"

The colorful stalls and aromas came back to mind.

"We bought food."

 _Food._ They probably got snacks without him too.

"Sounds great. Is that all you did?"

A pause. "No..." She recalled standing outside of the store; the clansmen and their weird conversation. "I saw a dog...and," a gulp "A scary man."

Obito's eyes narrowed. "A scary man? Why was he scary?"

She didn't quite know how to articulate what she saw.

"He had a scary face."

"Oh." A lot of people in the village had faces that would scare children. For example, one time he'd seen a man that oddly resembled a snake at the academy! All of the children had been wary of him. Imagine their surprise when their sensei informed them that the man had served directly under the Third Hokage and was there to lecture them in intimidation tactics. Well, given his face he sure proved his knowledge in the intimidating arts. "...and after you saw the scary man..?"

"We made riceballs!" She cried jubilantly. "And then I went to see you and Kakashi fight."

Obito inwardly cringed. That was a bit blunt.

The girl continued... "I don't think...I don't think he likes you..."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. I don't like him either."

Suddenly, another memory came to mind- of Granny and her conversation before going home. And then, the recollection of raised kunai and angry voices from the training fields.

Granny's description or war resurfaced in her mind. Why do people go to war? _Because they do not like each other._ Suddenly, Chiyoko had to ask.

"Nii-san," He had become quite confused at her uncanny pause mid-sentence. The next question would prove to be more startling.

"-are you going to war against Kakashi?"

The onyx-hair boy guffawed at the randomness of the question.

"Wha-Why would you ask that?!"

"Granny said people go to war when they do not like each other, and you just said you don't like Kakashi." She reasoned.

"I don't dislike him that much!" Obito defended, regaining his composure. "He's my teammate. The chances are higher I'd be going to war with him rather than against him."

 _Going to war with him?_

" _Are_ you going to war with him?"

Now that was a question that was _too_ relevant. He didn't want to think about it...but with everything going on between the villages lately, some kind of dispute was bound to occur. If their sudden mission wasn't telling enough already, he didn't want to know what their _missions_ would escalate to.

"Maybe," Obito admitted, "But maybe not." He hoped.

The little girl frowned. "I don't want you to go to war." Like Granny had said, war was when people hurt each other. She didn't want anyone to hurt Obito...

Me neither, he thought.

She paused again, this time more contemplative.

"Nii-san." She inquired quietly. His gaze met hers. "Would you ever kill someone?"

His expression was uneasy as if the thought displeased him.

A pause.

"Yes," he admitted slowly, staring out the window. He did not meet her gaze. "But only if I had to."

And he would have to no doubt. It was not a matter of _if_ but of _when._

"Why?"

" _Why?"_ Obito echoed. That was the easy part to answer- but not so easy to explain to a toddler who had not yet the same concepts of life and death. The past month's shinobi death toll surfaced to mind. On his walks to the academy, he had seen more than a few caskets on their journies' to the funeral pyre. In class, some of his own classmates had lost siblings, cousins, and even parents. Now, he saw men with sandblasters daily carving new names on the KIA stone. The same stone where his own parents' names were embossed.

 _Why?_

To protect the village." Obito sighed. "To protect everyone."

"Why?"

 _Why protect everyone?_ Now that was simple.

"Chiyo," This time his expression was serious, an emotion that Chiyoko seldom saw from her brother. He looked her dead in the eyes. "You remember when I told you that we all had Chakra that keeps us alive?"

She nodded. She remembered. When he'd told her about chakra it was like a lightbulb going off. He'd put a name to the weird humming sensation she always felt when she closed her eyes.

"Well, a person doesn't only need chakra to survive. They need food and water and shelter...but most of all they need love."

It sounded sappy coming out of his mouth but he didn't quite know how to word it.

"And everyone, every shinobi in Konoha loves the village, because the people we love are here, and we'd do anything to protect our precious people. And if anything ever tried to take that away we'd fight for it. It's called the Will of Fire. Everyone in the village has the Will of Fire, including you and me."

He could tell he had her full attention and understanding.

"And that is why I am going to become Hokage someday. So I can protect everyone."

She blinked owlishly, and then-

"You would kill for a fire?"

Okay..maybe not _full_ understanding.

"No, not a literal fire! It's-" he struggled to explain. "It's a fire...it's a that burns inside of you."

Well that sounded like it hurt, Chiyoko thought. She had almost burned her hand on a fire once, she doubted she wanted one _inside_ of her.

"You- you have a fire...inside of you?" With knitted brows, she reached a tiny finger to his chest and poked his chest where his heart was. She couldn't fathom how he possibly had a fire _inside_ _of him without being on fire._ Man, her brother really was a superhero...or a mutant or an alien- a ninja.

He laughed softly. "Yeah." Softer. "I do."

"How do I get a fire in me?"

He laughed.

"...You'll see when you're older."

After their conversation, Obito tucked her in and turned out the light.

And then...Chiyoko dreamed.

* * *

 _"Give me the gun."_

 _Where was she? Looking around, her mind supplied the answer. Grocery store...but not just any grocery store. It was the family-owned Ready-Mart across the street from her home. She'd been there...she'd been there to buy...?_

 _Looking down, a plastic bag was crumpled under her shaking hands. There was a resounding 'clink' of a can when she moved._

 _Soda. Right. She had been there to buy soda for herself; to fuel her study-session with caffeine. She had been procrastinating...She was studying..._

 _"We're going to hell for this."_

 _...For the state tests. For college. She **had** been. _

_Foreboding footsteps echoed off the tiles of the supermarket's floors in her direction._

 _She **had** been studying. She had...before...before..._

 _An ugly, trepidatious sensation was igniting her body. Her mind was reeling, screaming at her that something bad was about to happen. Yes, something bad indeed._

 _Sneakers. She saw sneakers in front of her. Wait- why was she one the floor?_

 _She looked up. A boy with a guilty expression stared back at her. Almost automatically, tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to overflow. He was holding...he was holding...a gun? It glinted menacingly under the incandescent light bulbs._

 _She remembered._

 _Yes...she had been studying...she **had**...before she **died.** _

_"NO," she whispered. "Wait...wait WAIT-!"_

 _"I'm sorry." His face was full of regret and pity...but he still raised the gun._

 _Expect, before he pulled the trigger...he morphed into somebody else. A pale man, with haunted, resolute, crimson eyes of unshed tears and onyx hair...that reminded her of...of her..._

 _In his hand was a sword. Behind, the scenery of the grocery mart morphed into a dimmed room. There were two people sat beside her now. The layout of the room was oddly familiar although not western._

 _Fugaku. Mikoto. How did she know their names?_

 _"You truly are a kind child."_

 _No. This was wrong. Very wrong. She struggled to breathe._

 _He readied his sword, and brought it down his swift precision-_

 _ **NO!**_

 _the scenery morphed again. This time, she was alone in a forest...but it was anything but peaceful. The trees were like upright soldiers; they cast a wide, obscuring canopy over the night sky- leaving the ground veiled in shadow. She could barely see what lay in front of her._

 _A foul scent lingered in the air. Somehow she recognized the scent._

 _Blood._

 _Her legs moved on their own accord._

 _From a distance, large explosions punctuated the soundscape of the night._

 _Crash! Crash! Boom! **BOOM!**_

 _Rocks started to rain down in a torrential downpour._

 _"Where...where am I?"_

 _And then, she came upon a clearing._

 _When her vision cleared, she perceived t_ _wo figures huddled together in close proximity. They were conversing in low, urgent voices next to a rock that looked as it could have almost crushed them. Her mind registered that something about them was familiar, but she was unable to place it. It was almost like, she'd seen this before._

 _She started towards them. The voices became audible._

 _"So what if I'm captain! So what if I'm jonin!"_

 _Anguish. That was anguish. It was unnerving._

 _The boy who'd said it was crouched low on the ground. He was covered in dust and grime and...blood, his silver hair reflecting in the moonlight._

 _Silver hair. Wait. Why was that familiar?_

 _The girl next to him was crying._

 _She crept forward ever so slowly now. Something about the whole encounter felt off. Every step closer was with terrified anticipation._

 _"Oh yeah...I had forgotten." A low rasp._

 _It didn't belong to the silver-haired boy or the crying girl...which meant...there was a third person._

 _"-I was the one who..." a gurgle, "Didn't give you a gift...for becoming jonin Kakashi. "_

 _Wait. Wait...something about that voice...she thought. S_ _omething about that voice was familiar._

 _A new wave of anxiety crashed over her. Too familiar. It sounded like-_

 _She was behind them now, crouching low._

 _When her eyes registered the sight in front of her, it felt as if time had stopped._

 _A blue, almost-black soiled uniform crusted in blood. Pale cheeks, exhausted countenance. **Red eyes.**_

 _There was a body under that rock._

 _Not just any_ _ **body**_. _Not just **anybody.**_

 _"I'm giving you...my Sharingan." his voice was almost inaudible now. "Whatever the village may say...you are...a great jonin."_

 _Obito._

 _Obito. Obito. Obito._

 _She had seen this scene before, she realized. A long time ago...and she had cried for him. But now, it felt as if her heart was seizing. On a screen it had been sad to watch..but now..._

 _Obito crushed under a rock. Obito struggling to breathe. Obito dying._

 _No. No. No._

 _He couldn't die. He couldn't. He couldn't die because he...he was..._

 _Rin was readying her kunai now, new determination set for the task at hand. Obito's last request._

 _He was...he was her..._

 _She felt herself running forward towards the morbid affair with blurred vision._

 _"BROTHER!"_

Chiyoko woke up hyperventilating, mildly confused and downright terrified.

Her startled mind realized three things at once. One: she was in her bed, _safe._ Two: it was pitch black in her room; probably midnight. And three...

She brought a hand up to her face and discovered tears.

...She had been crying.

 _Why...?_

Chiyoko searched her brain for answers but the memories of the dream had already faded. Only key snippets replayed.

Red eyes of a strange, pale man. Obito with red eyes.

A shaky, bewildered sigh bubbled past her lips.

Just what...had that dream been about?

* * *

 _ **~oOo~**_

* * *

 **This probably the most fast I have ever written a chapter (on that note HAPPY NaNoWriMo)! Between this fic and my other Death Note fic _Habeas Corpus_ I'm trying to write 50k this month. That being said, I apologize if there are any errors in this chapter.**

 **Also a quick note- I was doing some research on Kakashi and other characters and...Itachi was anbu at 11? that HECK. To be honest when you think about it all of the characters are basically child soldiers...but *sips tea***

 **If you liked this chapter don't hesitate to drop a review! Also, I would like to quickly thank everyone who has favorited and followed this story recently- you all rock! (and do wonders for my writing motivation)**

 **Until next update,**

 **-dreamwithinadream262**


	5. Chapter 5

"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt."― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

* * *

 _ **~oOo~**_

* * *

Outside of the Hokage tower, another normal day in Konoha passed without much excitement. Inside, however...

"I'm sure you are all curious as to why I summoned this meeting?"

Homura Mitokado, Danzo Shimura, and Koharu Utatane looked up expectantly at their former teammate and current leader, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Many years ago, they had all served equally under Tobirama during the First Shinobi World War, that was...until his rather abrupt death. Now, whenever they shared company it was for matters of strict businesses...

They were, after all, _the_ Konoha council: advisors to the most paramount affairs of the village.

"As you all know, there has been some...unrest within the elemental nations." Hiruzen continued.

Nods of understanding. It was common knowledge at this point that relations between villages had been less than amicable. In fact, they had been quite abysmal over the last few months. Between the internal conflicts in Sunagakure, and the recent trade blockade by Iwagakure, tension was rising. Recent sightings of Iwa military presence in Konoha's neutral neighbor Kusagakure by Anbu had only compounded the problem and brought about new fears of invasion. Very _valid_ fears. In the Second Shinobi World War, it _had_ been Iwagakure troops who had allied with Amegakure against Konoha.

 _Unrest._ Danzo Shimura thought. That was a _major_ understatement.

"-Recent reports by ANBU have confirmed the presence of Iwa-nin on our borders." Hiruzen confessed and then added: "More than previously anticipated..."

They have gotten bold..." Koharu observed darkly. Foreign ninja on _their_ land. Foreign ninja on their land who had been overconfident enough to get caught "...Or quite careless."

"What does the Tscuchikage say about their presence?" This time it was Homura speaking. His tone was insistent- he always demanded the practical facts of political affairs. Realistically, talk of other leaders was cheap, but still revealing.

Hirzuen cracked a sardonic grin.

"He claims that their troops are stationed in the aid of Kusagakure against potential Ame forces."

"What-? That's ridiculous!" Homura incredulously exclaimed. "Amegakure couldn't lay siege to a nation even if they wanted to, and, they do not."

"I know." Hiruzen sighed.

He had seen the destruction of Amegakure himself. The Second Shinobi world war had left the village nothing more than a glorified pile of rubble. Since then, the village had only recovered a fracture of their original infrastructure and trade. They wouldn't be a threat to anyone for a _long_ time.

"So then...they lie? Why?" Koharu questioned.

Hiruzen stood and walked towards his desk where he sat next to a new pile of ANBU reports. From this position, the others could only barely decipher the dismal downturn of lips- the rest of his face cast in the shadow of his Hokage hat.

"I assume to buy time to strengthen their forces before they move forward with their plans of expansion."

Upon the declaration of that statement, the temperature of the room seemed to drop a few degrees.

"So...it has come to that then.." Homura muttered bitterly. His countenance was contemplative. "-And we can't accuse them, because that would be an act of war."

"As if encroaching on our borders wasn't one already..." Koharu hissed.

"So then...what do we do now?"

"We do the only thing we can. We wait." Hiruzen finally declared. "And plan."

A moment of pensive silence. They all contemplated the full implications of the past revelations of the conversation. If the past events had been ambiguous in effect, they were obvious now. War was coming to Konoha, and it was only a matter of when. -and this time around their forces were anything but prepared. The lack of war potential would mean the introduction of chunin or even genin to the battlefields...chunin like Hiruzen's own son Asuma.

Danzo had already known this though. He had known the second Iwa had engaged them in a trade war. These types of things always inevitably ended in some kind of conflict. He had anticipated this for _years-_ and already had a plan on how to proceed.

So, he took the golden opportunity that lay open in such a dire time.

"Lord Third, I have a proposal." His voice echoed in the spacious room. At the utterance, three pairs of alert eyes shifted to his direction.

 _Hm?_

"What type of proposal?"

Danzo cleared his throat and addressed the group with solemnity.

"I say we create a new division within the ANBU. A division that deals with more...clandestine affairs."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. _Clandestine affairs?_ Danzo _had_ always preferred to work in the shadows...but to what extent?

"An interesting suggestion," A pause. "-but why?"

"Well,' Danzo glanced around the room to each member of the Konoha council who stared back in rapt attention. They were listening. _Good._ "It is my firm opinion that the ANBU is currently lacking in the areas of espionage, being that- our enemies are aware of their existence."

Ninjas lacking in espionage. Oh the irony.

"-But, if we were to have a secret class of ABNU, say, a group of unseen ones who support the great tree of Konoha from the depths of the earth...well, then we could do _anything."_

"A secret class hidden within the shadows of our own operatives unknown to other villages." Hiruzen summarised. Now that...would be more than convenient, but also...very unethical. Except...with such a group they could do more than observe and infiltrate. Much more. "But who will organize such a thing?"

Danzo suppressed a smile.

"Me. He paused. "If you would permit."

They digested the information.

"It would make tracking Iwa's movement easier..." Koharu finally agreed after moments of deliberation.

"-and would make it harder for them to track our actions," Homura added.

A moment of silence.

"How fast can you organize this group?" Hiruzen finally questioned. Usually, he wouldn't approach decision making from Danzo's point of view but... anything to stall the impending war...anything that would potentially protect the lives of Konoha- was fair game.

Danzo didn't hesitate to reply.

"Immediately. I already have some men in mind."

An almost imperceptible squint in Hiruzen's eyes. So...Danzo had been mulling over this for a long time. Interesting.

After some thirty seconds of decision, he'd made a decision.

"Alright. I give you permission. But what will this subdivision be called?"

Danzo thought for a moment. A group of unseen ones supporting the great _tree_ of Konoha from underground he had said? Well, a great tree was always just the visual part of the plant...it was always sustained by the branches _below_ the surface.

He suppressed a smirk. Now _that_ was a perfect name.

"Root."

* * *

 **~oOo~**

* * *

Obito had been gone for a whole _month._

Chiyoko was starting to get antsy.

"When is he coming back?" She had asked Granny repeatedly through the past weeks, but every time the woman would just shake her head and say that she didn't know. Nobody knew anything it seemed. They didn't know what he was doing on his mission, or when he would return. Absolutely diddly squat. And that wasn't even the worst part.

Nightmares. Chiyoko had been plagued with them every night since he'd left. Every. Single. Night. And it was always the same. She would go to bed peacefully, and then wake up paralyzed in fear with no recollection of what she had dreamed about. Well, except for the fading memory of crimson eyes. Whoever they belonged to though...that was a mystery.

Granny had started to show concern for her wellbeing. On some of her night-terror occasions, Chiyoko had accidentally wet the bed, which only made the little girl feel more ashamed. Whatever plagued her in her dreams was something,...something unexplainable. Granny hoped it was just a phase, and not indicative of a more pervasive problem regarding her introduction into the world.

Little did she know it was a whole lot worse than that.

The only positive part of the situation came in the form of the sudden increase of visitors to their house, mostly to assist Granny, or so she had been told. They broke up the monotony of each passing day and provided her something tangible to focus on.

"Do you know what this symbol means?" A friendly voice said to her right. It belonged to a girl with long wavy hair named Kurenai. She was the newest face in the parade of visitors to their home, and the nicest- almost as nice as Rin, and she was actually trying to teach the little girl something. In this instance, it was how to read her own name.

Chiyoko scrutinized the page on the floor in front of them. The characters that Kurenai was pointing to looked like meaningless scribbles...but she tried to remember the impromptu lesson she'd been taught a few minutes prior.

"Is it, ...a thousand?" She asked.

Kurenai beemed. "Yes! Perfect. 'chi' means a thousand." She wrote another. "How about this one?"

The little girl squinted. This one was much harder.

"I don't know." She admitted after a long pause. These symbols were _so_ confusing.

"That's okay. It's yo. Repeat after me. Yo."

"Yo."

"Good! It means generation. Now read them together."

"Chi..." the words tumbled awkwardly from her lips. "Chi-yo? Chiyo?" Then it clicked. "Chiyo!" Her name! A wave of excitement shot through her veins.

"Yes! Great job! Now, how about this last one?"

This time Chiyoko vigorously studied the movement of Kurenai's pencil. When she lifted it from the paper the little girl suppressed some surprise. The character Kurenai had written was one of the few that she actually knew. Obito had taught her it a few months prior.

"Ko." She said confidently and then pointed to herself for emphasis. "Child."

Child. Yes, she was a child.

Kurenai smiled warmly. "Right. Chi-yo-ko. Thousand generation child. That's you."

"Cool!" The little girl exclaimed. _Thousand generation child?_ That sounded awesome!

Oh the irony.

She turned around animatedly and poised a question.

"What does your name mean?"

"My name? Well, It's not as cool or original as yours that's for sure." Kurenai laughed and pointed to her eyes. Her very _red_ eyes. "Mine means crimson."

When Chiyoko had first spied the girl's vermillion irises, it had been quite disconcerting and reminded her of the dreams that plagued her sleep. But, after spending time together, the kindness that reflected from Kurenai's eyes resembled quite the opposite from her dreams. While those eyes had been screamed bloodlust, hers told of honesty and earnestness.

"Crimson?" She pondered.

Kurenai shrugged. "It's just a fancy word for red."

"Ohhhhhhh."

"Pretty much."

Kurenai looked down at the little girl next to her an hid an endearing smile. Secretly, she liked her team's recent slew of D-rank missions. Of course, her teammates Asuma and Raido had protested, but it was a nice break from the chaos of escorts and chunin-exam preparation. This one had been more than simple: she, Asuma, and Raido had been split around the village to help random civilians in their daily lives...which led her to her current state on the floor beside the child- glorified babysitting as it were, but she wasn't complaining.

...although naturally there was an ulterior motive.

 _Search the village for new academy recruits_ , they had said. Why? Kurenai didn't know- although when they'd been given the orders Asuma sure looked contemplative. The ninja academy was never short of pupils between the various clans whose generations repeatedly strolled their halls. Surely, they weren't under suffering from a _lack_ of students. Maybe Konoha wanted more manpower? With all the recent skirmishes...

The scribbling of a pencil shook Kurenai from her thoughts. The girl was trying to copy her characters it seemed. _How cute._ Her hands were shaky and the copied characters a bit slapdash, but still impressive.

 _Hmm..._

"Chiyo," Kurenai said. The girl in question perked up at the mention of her name.

"Yes?"

A slight hesitation. And then...

"Would you ever want to become a ninja?"

Chiyoko considered the question. Thoughts of the men in green jackets and Obito's training came to mind. _Would she want to be a ninja?_ From what she knew, it required a _lot_ of work, and sometimes, it made you get hurt, like when Obito came back from his missions. Speaking of missions...it made you leave home a lot, and rather randomly.

But also...

She recollected Obito's words about the Will of Fire or whatever it was called. Maybe being a ninja was how you got a fire in you? Maybe that's how he learned to breathe fire? If so that sounded more than cool...but also really weird.

"Hmmmm...I don't know." Chiyoko concluded.

Kurenai laughed. "You don't know? Well, I guess that's okay. People usually start the academy at age six anyway...although the new students do seem to be getting younger and younger..."

Chiyoko barely registered the comment. She was back at trying to copy the characters again.

Obito was going to be so proud of her when he came back.

* * *

Fugaku was having a bad day. Although they were so frequent it could just a considered normal at this point.

Paperwork. Paperwork. Paperwork. There was a mountain of it on his desk that never seemed to dent no matter how much of it he completed. If he didn't know better he would have thought that the village was trying to drown him in it. The recent surge of cases had not been unanticipated, but was still a considersble amount. It was obvious that everyone within the Military Police Force felt the effects of the increased workload; all-nighters at the building had become a badge of honor amongst the crowd. Fugaku himself was not immune from these events, the tell-tale signs of sleep deprivation apparent on his face as well.

Thankfully he was more than efficient at time management...although...

Tekka, a jonin who had recently joined the Force, opened the door to Fugaku's office bearing the load of a new stack of files. He set them down with thinly-veiled pity before returning to his own desk where, unsurprisingly, more work was waiting.

The weary Uchiha leader dispassionately considered the mountain of folders.

 _Requestion for Investigation on... Status Update on... RE: ANBU WARRANT..._

The list was unending.

"Ugh..." Fugaku groaned. He wouldn't be leaving his desk for a _long_ time.

In his paperwork induced irritation, a sudden vision of Mikoto's cooking and his bed at home came to mind.

Fugaku's countenance darkened considerably. It'd been long since he'd taken comfort in a warm meal and bed- so long in fact that he reckoned his side of the mattress was just collecting dust out of disuse. Rest. He deserved it; no- he _needed_ it like a fish needed water.

Tonight. Yes...he'd go home tonight.

With newfound vigor, he picked up a pencil and began the long process of work.

Five hours later, Fugaku emerged victoriously from the Konoha Military Police Building, much to the jealousy of his coworkers. On his short walk home,( for once he was thankful the Police Force building was within the Uchiha compound) he glanced up at the setting sun and a smile found its way to his lips.

Although, his version of a smile kind of resembled a frown...but it was still there.

Suffice to say, under the pretenses of dinner and sleep, Fugaku made it home in record timing.

"You're back!" Mikoto exclaimed in surprise at the fight of her husband in the doorway. She was equally happy to see him. "-But, I thought you said you were staying until tomorrow?"

He stepped into the threshold of the house. "I finished early," he simply explained.

Three steps into the hallway, an appetizing scent leaking from the kitchen made him freeze. His stomach rumbled instantaneously.

"I just finished making dinner," Mikoto explained. "Hope you're hungry."

She didn't need to say that twice.

"Lead the way."

Between satisfying spoonfuls of rice and fish, Mikoto filled him in on the contents of her day. This included: going to the market and catching up with her longtime friend, Kushina Uzumaki. Being that Mikoto had retired from Shinobi life after marrying, she didn't see her Shinobi friends much anymore; but they made the effort to chat when they found free time. Mikoto was happy for talk that didn't include a three-year-old, and Kushina was happy to indulge in some light gossip instead of serious Shinobi matters.

"Kushina tells me that she and Minato have become rather serious as of late..." Mikoto informed, "Those two always have been together, ever since the academy." She laughed. "Perhaps there are wedding bells in their future."

It sounded like meaningless gossip but, there was a purpose to the statement.

Outwardly Fugaku didn't react much but digested the information. Minato Namikaze. He wasn't well acquainted with the man being their 6 year age-gap, but he had heard of his skill. The prodigy was practically famous for speed, leading to the moniker of _Konoha's Yellow Flash._ Kushina on the other hand...well she was a well-respected ninja; her fuinjutsu of particular note.

"Hn.." _Wedding bells?_ If that were the indeed the truth, it was an advantageous one for Konoha. If those two ever had a child there was no doubt he or she would inherit the bloodline of two very skilled shinobi. "...interesting."

"I know. It reminds me of when we met." She laughed and then turned to wipe off some rice that had fallen from Itachi's bowl. He was more coordinated than most toddlers but still struggled with chopsticks. "You were so...expressive back then."

Now that earned an amused look from the man. "Was I now?"

In those days he hadn't been very far into his shinobi career or inherited the role of clan leader.

Mikoto grinned. "Just a little. Remember the first time we spoke in the academy? You were practically red in the face."

Well he _had_ been speaking to a pretty girl. Any teenage boy under the influence of puberty would have blushed in the same circumstances. Thankfully, he later learned to conceal his emotions and control his expressions. He'd gotten so skilled at maintaining a fixed expression, sometimes even Mikoto was left wondering to the thoughts that rattled in his skull.

"Ah yes. I do remember that." _Fondly._

This talk was making him rather nostalgic.

"How time flies." Mikoto mused.

"Too fast." He confirmed.

Their conversation continued to flow unto other mundane topics of interest such as the ingredients of the food set on the table, and Mikoto's inquiries as to how the many employees of the Force and their families' were fairing. In the middle of one of these explanations, Mikoto stopped and looked as if she had suddenly recalled something.

"Fugaku," Her tone was uncannily serious. "Two chunin stopped by the house today."

Another spoonful of rice. "Chunin? Were they looking for me?"

People always stopped by the house to tell him of more work he had to do. That, or summons to the Hokage tower- although they would have gone straight to his work if matters were _that_ urgent.

"No." Mikoto paused. "They were looking for academy recruits."

Fugaku stopped chewing. his brow furrowed in puzzlement.

"The Academy?"

Mikoto nodded.

"They said they had lowered the entrance age." she paused. "Obviously I informed them that Itachi is still too young, but it got me thinking..."

She cast a sideways glance over to their son who was patiently listening to their conversation. Itachi. Her son. Her polite, innocent, and sweet son who she tucked into bed every night. Her son...the heir of the Uchiha clan. She knew the day would come quickly when his crayons would be replaced with shiruken...but that didn't mean she was prepared for it. She would _not_ rush the process.

Fugaku set his bowl down gently onto the table. They had _just_ celebrated the boy's third birthday, and now there were knocks on their door about the academy? Ridiculous...

"-why would they be taking such extreme measures?"

"Lowering the academy entrance age...Well, that is very interesting..." He muttered- words long and measured. "I wonder if it is at all connected to the recent turmoil outside of the village..."

"I thought so too. Mikoto blanched. His statement had just confirmed some of her previous speculations. "These are... strange times..."

"Indeed."

The rest of their dinner was eaten in silence.

Later that night under the watchful eye of the moon, Fugaku lay awake in bed, mind swimming with the revelations of the day.

 _The increase of paperwork due to internal disputes. Skirmishes. Lowered entrance ages._

Something told him that in the next months his office would be the last place he'd be staying.

He better enjoy sleep while he still had the chance.

* * *

"Granny! Granny! Look here!" Chiyoko yelled with exhilaration. She held a solitary piece of paper in hand up for the woman to see.

Granny squinted and recognized the faint outlines of characters written in blue crayon. She bit back some surprise. Although almost illegible, they were still readable

"You- you wrote this?"

"Yes!" Chiyoko's heart swelled with pride as she saw the impressed look on Granny's face. "I've been practicing all week!"

After Kurenai had taught her to write her name it was as if a fire had been ignited in her brain. she wanted to learn _everything._ Suddenly, the signs in the village that had looked like mumbo jumbo gibberish were starting to become _words..._ and words were addicting. It felt like she was unlocking a treasure every time another one made sense; like this mental exercise was the water in a desert and quenched her thirst for knowledge that she never knew she had.

It was all so _rewarding._

So, the second Kurenai had left the week prior, Chiyoko searched the house high and low for the instruments of education. She'd found the book that Obito had read to her in the months before his mission and tried to apply sounds to characters and labels to objects she'd observed. she readied her crayons and devoted what felt like hours tracing and copying the storybooks. Although her list of characters was short, it was still a tangible accomplishment, and she was honestly surprised to find that her mind had made sense of it all.

Which...also shocked Granny.

On the paper that Chiyoko had shoved into her face, a stick figure version of their family stood- all rendered in scribbled splashes of color. The stick figure representing Obito was discernible only for the orange blob of color that represented his goggles, and the figure for granny wore gray hair. However, it was not the artistic prowess that was so alarming. Labeled on top of the figures were the characters for their names. Except that wasn't it. Behind the chicken-scratch people, tree, sky, flower, and other objects had been labeled.

"You learned all of this in one week?" Granny pondered aloud.

Chiyoko smiled and nodded in response. "Yeah!"

"All by yourself?" Where had she been when while this was happening? Suddenly, the recent short of paper in their home made sense.

"Kurenai taught me my name." She answered.

Granny pointed to the other character-labeled objects. "And these?"

"I found them in a book!"

 _So...she taught herself?_ Obviously, they weren't complicated characters to write...but for a child...

"Wow. Good- Great job Chiyoko!" She threw one arm around the girl in a side hug. "This is really impressive! I'm going to put it on the fridge so everyone can see it!"

 _The Fridge?_ This made Chiyoko's smile widen even further.

"Yay!"

If Granny had been so happy with the picture, then Obito would be too!

The little girl's heart soared at the prospect of receiving his praise.

Granny turned around and made her way to where the fridge stood. Within seconds, the picture was tacked to the fridge with magnets in all of its glory.

"There. Now the whole world can see how smart my Chiyo is."

The girl was practically glowing at the praise. This small accomplishment was a welcomed distraction from her dreams. In fact, the elation it brought chased away all traces of fatigue from her body. She was absolutely invigorated by it. Her picture on the fridge. _Her_ picture!

"Granny," Chiyoko burst. "Do you think Obito will like it too?"

The elderly woman swiveled around and patted the girl on the head.

"I'm positive he'll love it."

* * *

Obito _hated_ patrols...which was why when he found himself put on duty with Kakashi, he started to suspect the universe had something against him.

Minato and Rin had gone to reconvene with the rest of the teams who had been stationed on a small encampment outside of Konoha to monitor the activity of the surrounding towns- AND complete some well-needed inter-village "team-building" ...or at least that's what Minato had said. For the last month, they had been stuck in the hastily set up camp with a handful of other teams under quite uneventful circumstances.

When Obito had heard _mission,_ he'd envisioned some exciting adventure. Not traipsing through the forest with a ton of another genin for an impromptu camp session. What was the point of team building at this point anyway? They were all going to be fighting as opponents in the chunin exams shortly. Whatever relationships that were being kindled at their encampment would be soon disregarded for a potential promotion...

Obito swatted at a mosquito and tried to concentrate at the task at hand. He spied Kakashi in his peripheral vision who had seemingly done the same.

Well, there was something to be grateful for in the whole predicament, Obito mused. He and Kakashi had maintained a comfortable silence, and he quite preferred it to the endless amount of patronizing words the Hatake could easily dole out. When the guy wasn't talking, he found he quite liked him.

Only when he was not talking though. The second either one of them opened their mouths, the mutual truce between them would be lost and their verbal sparring would begin again.

Droplets of sweat trailed down his arms. Oh, how the sun was unforgiving. How much longer would they have to stay out here?

He checked his watch. It signaled that only an hour had passed since their patrol started...which meant there were still a few more hours until they'd be relieved of the position and able to grab some well-deserved food and rest.

A long sigh. _Well it's only a few hours, right?_

Only a few more hours and then he'd be free to avoid Kakashi for as long as possible. Yeah, he could do this!

As the minutes continued to tick by agonizingly slow, Obito started to doubt his own resolve.

 _God this is so BORING!_

At least with another genin he'd had conversation to ease the monotony of it all. There was absolutely nothing interesting about observing trees again and again...and he could only count leaves on branched for so long until he lost his concentration.

He again spied Kakashi out of the corner of his eye and started to observe him. The silver-haired chunin was standing with rimrod posture, not looking one bit tired. A few drops of sweat shone from his forehead but overall he seemed unaffected. How?!

Obito averted his gaze. _It's like he's not even a real person…_

In reality, Kakashi was sweltering under the combination of the summer rays and his trademark black clothing- but hell would freeze over before he let Obito see him falter in any way. Having felt the eyes of the Uchiha on him, he made sure to conceal any signs of fatigue.

The heat continued its unrelenting assault.

Between the sweat and the glaring sun, it didn't take long for dehydration to set in.

 _Man I'm parched,_ Obito thought and rummaged through his bag for some water. His mouth felt like cotton.

His hands searched the inside of the pack, but couldn't grasp anything that felt like his canteen.

 _That's weird._ A confused furrow etched across his brow. _I could've sworn I packed it-_

 _Wait._

 _Wait._

A memory from the hours prior surfaced to mind.

 _Shhhittttttt._

He cursed under his breath. Yes- he _had_ packed it that morning. But that was before he had given it to Rin after she'd lost hers the previous day. He wasn't really thinking about patrol duty at the time, only on helping her in the moment...and naturally, he'd totally forgotten about it.

His name really should have been Obito the self-sabotager. This _always happened!_ And now, Kakashi would see him make yet another blunder.

Obito discreetly retracted his hand casually set the pack around his shoulders again.

Well, only if he _knew_ about it.

He resumed a casual position and started to pace, trying hard to ignore the way his lips had started to crack. Trying, because each dry swallow was yet another reminder.

It was _just_ a few more hours, right? He could get plenty of water then. He only had to persevere a few more hours.

 _Only a few more hours_

 _Only a few more hours_

 _Onlya few more hou-_

A sudden tap on the shoulder jerked him back from his inner tangent. Looking up, Obito perceived an object floating dubiously over his head. Squinting, the colors started to come into focus and the shape of a canteen became clear. Not just any canteen though. Kakashi's canteen.

But why?

Did... did Kakashi want him to take it?

"What?" Obito breathed out questioningly. He met eyes with his teammate and found that there seemed to be no negative intent to the action. There were no duplicitous motives, no patronizing glance...just a level-headed expression that spoke volumes.

"You look thirsty." Kakashi shrugged and pushed the canteen into Obito's hands. Obito must have had an expression that told of his shock because seconds later Kakashi's brow raised.

"What?" There was no reason for the Uchiha to be so alarmed. It wasn't like the water was poisoned or anything. _Just accept it._ He's seen the guy searching through his backpack and failing- and it wasn't even so surprising that Obito would forget something as important as water in their current climate. So of course would offer some. Yeah, they didn't get along but he wasn't _that_ cruel or sadistic.

Obito recovered and shook his head. "Uh...nothing," and then unscrewed the cap.

Between modest gulps of water, Obito tried to decipher the action. Kakashi was never nice to him, they barely ever spoke if it wasn't an argument, and now the guy had offered him some water? That was more than out of character...he'd always thought the guy was a sadist with all of the tricks he pulled on him. And he hadn't even made fun of him for forgetting his water? That was crazy- no, it was insane.

If Rin had seen the exchange she would have wept with joy.

Well, whatever the motive was, he felt better already.

Obito muttered an awkward thanks as he handed the canteen back. Kakashi just nodded in acknowledgment and they returned to their previous silence...although something between them felt a lot lighter.

Maybe this patrol wouldn't be so bad afterall...

* * *

 _ **So yeah, a lot going on in this chapter although it was more transitional. I thought to add a scene of the formation of Root because the manga never really clarifies why or how it was established. I always imagined Hiruzen allowing Danzo to operate it under the pretenses of some drastic need- and what other need requires super-secret ninja than an impending war? Also, for the academy recruiting kids from Konoha early- I remember reading in Naruto Wiki articles that because of the lack of war potential in the village after the Second War (aka the lack of skilled ninja since a lot died in the past conflict), much younger shinobi entered the battlefield in the third (think Obito). I'd think that the village, having known such a fact, would try to prepare the next generation of ninja so that wouldn't happen again. (aka more ninja means less chance of a shortage)**_

 _ **Oh! One fact that should be noted. In this fic I have referred to the Uchiha compound a numerous amount of times. This is not to be confused with the UCHIHA DISTRICT, which was only founded in the wake of the Nine-tails attack. What I am explaining here is that the compound is more or less a main area where a lot of Uchiha live out of preference (Like how many Hyuga live) BUT NOT OUT OF REQUIREMENT. Many Uchiha in fact at this period in Konoha, lived scattered around the village. However, being that the Uchiha were/are one of the biggest clans, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that a good amount still prefer to live together. That is where Chiyoko lives.**_

 _ **Also, I apologize if any characters or ideas of the plot seem out of order or changed. My knowledge of Naruto stems from the manga only- I've never watched an episode of the anime in my life except for fanfic research purposes. Sometimes I am even surprised at the amount of interesting detail that the anime seems to have added (at least from what I've concluded from reading many Naruto Wiki pages).**_

 _ **Last but not least THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE FAVORITED or FOLLOWED THIS STORY! You all motivate me to write more (which also helps me reach my NaNoWriMo goals faster). If you have any theories as to what will happen next, I'm happy to hear about it (;.**_

 _ **Until Next update!**_

 _ **~dreamwithinadream262**_


	6. Chapter 6

_"A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless."_

 _-Charles de Gaulle_

* * *

 ** _~oOo~_**

* * *

The sun was behind the treeline now. Long shadows from the surrounding foliage cast refuge over the Konoha encampment.

 _Almost over_. Obito mused happily. The brilliant sunset meant that their patrol was finally coming to an end. He took a moment to admire it. At home, the sunsets were beautiful, but nothing quite like this. He wondered if Rin was looking at the sunset too, wherever or whatever she was doing.

Blood rushed to his cheeks at the thought. Watching a sunset with a pretty girl- that sounded like a date!

 _Fwip._ The crush of gravel pulled him from his future date fantasies. _FWIP!_ He looked back and saw Kakashi with one foot paused midair. He was kicking stones in boredom it seemed. They sailed high above the ground and disappeared into the surrounding bushes.

 _Fwip! Fwip! Fwip!_

Kakashi was still looking forward, his ever-present deadpan stare fixed to the horizon- but the slight crinkle of his visible eyes told of possible amusement under the mask.

 _What's he doing?_ Obito arched an eyebrow. Watching Kakashi 'play' was a bit shocking. Sometimes he forgot the guy was his age with how boring and stuck-up he acted. First the canteen and now kicking rocks- this day was full of surprises. Obito blamed the sun for affecting Kakashi's judgment because he was _too_ amiable to be normal. In the past hours, they hadn't even gotten into an argument or exchanged heated glances. It was as if Kakashi's offer of water had been the beginning of an unspoken truce between them for the day.

 _FWIP!_ This time Obito felt a sharp pain on the side of his head. He turned around and spied Kakashi's offending foot in his direction.

"Oops." Kakashi shrugged in apology, but his eyes that dazzled in amusement told otherwise.

Now Obito usually would have been annoyed at being used as target practice. He usually would have responded to such an action with a few choice words or a dirty look- but given the past hours and the good mood he was in, he suppressed little more than a wiry smile.

"Yeah right," He snorted and rolled his eyes at his teammate as he picked up the pebble from the floor. "You're lucky I'm wearing my goggles- this could have hit me in the eye!"

 _Could've-_ but it wouldn't have. Because Kakashi had perfect aim with Kunai and Shiruken, so _that_ pebble had gone exactly where it was supposed to.

"Kakashi's lips quirked up under the mask. "Just testing your reflexes."

The deadpan look that garnered from the Uchiha _almost_ made him laugh.

"Uh-huh." The tone was unbelieving and rightfully so. Then, without warning, Obito threw the rock back at him at full speed. It made a whistling noise as it flew towards its startled target only feet away. _Two can play at this game._

...and Kakashi caught it. Of course. He held it up victoriously. It had been centimeters away from possible impact to the bridge of his nose.

"Oops," Obito said smiling. "Just testing your reflexes." He mocked and bursting into a fit of uproaring laughter. Although the Hatake had caught the stone, his momentary look of surprise had been priceless. Obito was already replaying it in his head. He turned back around to stare at his teammate and found that Kakashi's shoulders were quaking in concealed laughter. At first Obito thought maybe the guy was seizing, but he quickly realized that wasn't the case.

The two of them. Pulling jokes- laughter... _together_ and not at each other's expense. It was strange but altogether not a bad feeling. It fact, it was quite nice, even though none of them would admit it. Arguing all the time was so tiring and aggravating...this _levity_ was a welcomed change of pace.

Their mutual laughter died down as if smashed by a boulder and they both froze as they realized what they were doing. Kakashi coughed and swiftly turned his back, but the ghost of a smile played on his lips. Obito also looked in the other direction sheepishly. If someone had seen they would have assumed the two were good friends.

 _Friends._ Obito hoped they could be...

 _Friends._ Kakashi mused and then froze again. Had he seriously been thinking _that?_ Him and Obito _always_ fought about _everything._ They acted more like rivals than teammates...Although...

Kakashi recalled the light, pleasant feeling in his chest as they both laughed together. It was such a freeing feeling... _so confusing._ Why-?

The sun. _The Sun!_ It _had_ to be the sun making them act this way. He had to be coming down with heat stroke. That was the only explanation.

They would go back to the camp and everything would return to normal. Obito and he would fight again. They would bicker, and compete, and play cruel jokes on one another. Yes. _Normal._

He spied the Uchiha out of his eye and saw the boy peering out into the distance with a huge grin plastered on his face.

That smile. It was never directed at him- but here they were now. Kakashi mused. He would never admit it to Obito but he was jealous at how freely he dispensed his emotions to the others around them. He was optimistic somehow despite how they lived. Kakashi had never had the chance to retain such an outlook on life. His idealism had been shattered the moment he found his father's dead body on their living room floor.

When he first met Obito, he wished to see that smile break under the _reality_ of the Shinobi world...but now, he hoped it would never falter. A smile like that was rare nowadays. Kakashi wondered what emotions brought it to the surface. He, for one, never truly felt anything quite as strong as Obito seemed to, and he doubted he ever would.

Obito was an open book...and Kakashi? He lived _by_ the book. And the book said that shinobi were tools that had no need for emotions.

 _But still..._ He considered Obito's open expression. This moment... he wished it would last forever.

But of course, all good things always came to an end.

 _FWIP!_ There was rustling from the trees somewhere.

Obito turned back to Kakashi and instinctively raised his arm to block any possible incoming pebbles.

"Don't even think about it Hatake-" He prepared for the onslaught, but it never came.

Instead, he was met with the sight of true alarm written on Kakashi's features. His eyes were squinted into the distance and his crouch was defensive.

Three words from the Hatake's lips made his blood run cold.

"That wasn't me."

 _FWIP! THUD!_

Obito blinked. In the spot of the fence behind them, a kunai now sat embedded into the wood. If the aim had been a foot to the left or the right, it would have hit them.

 _"Shinobi."_ Kakashi hissed and surveyed the treeline. _But where?!_

Obito's shock was replaced with determination as his academy training kicked in. He dropped to a crouch behind Kakashi, mimicking the positions they frequently took during training. A two man-squad. Back-to-back. They couldn't leave any blind spots...especially when they couldn't see their opponent.

"How many are there?!" Obito whispered cryptically. Kakashi was a much better sensor than he was...they should have seen them coming.

"I don't know," Kakashi replied back. He hadn't sensed a thing. "They concealed their chakra." He noted, miffed.

Obito gulped. Hiding your chakra was a skill that took much practice, which meant whoever this assailant was, they were the real deal.

Oh, this was _not good._

It was eerily quiet.

Obito felt the warmth of Kakashi's back on his own and felt his pounding heartbeat. It thundered beneath his skull. _Thump thump. Thump thump._ He raised his kunai in anticipation and tried to ignore the way his hands shook due to the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Something was going to happen, he could tell. There was an almost tangible tension in the air.

His eyes scanned the now ominous treeline. They were at an obvious disadvantage being out in the open. If their assailant was within the branches, they would have the advantage of attacking from the high ground. But...then again, an attack could come from anywhere.

He saw the flash of metal out of the corner of his eye and gasped. "Kakashi! TEN O' CLOCK!"

They both jumped and tumbled to the floor as a flurry of shuriken whizzed overhead, one nearly grazing the top of Kakashi's head. If the Kunai from before hadn't been enough of a message, it was confirmed now by the fact someone was trying to skewer them. They were under attack.

Which meant, they needed to tell somebody. _And FAST-_ before they became ninja-kabobs.

But who would try to attack them? And why?

Kakashi's eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

 _"_ Obito we need to-"

He wasn't able to finish the sentence before the rumbling of the ground caught them both off guard. Within seconds, the ground exploded from underneath them.

 _ **BOOM!**_

Obito felt weightless as the shock of the explosion propelled him through the air. Air whipped around his face and screamed into his ears. He couldn't hear or feel or see anything. Just the incessant beating of his heart and the smell of smoke.

And then, the ground returned, and _fast._ His body slammed into the hard floor without warning. _THUD!_ The unexpected impact stole the breath from his lungs. The pain made his head spin.

He coughed and sucked in a ragged breath. Pebbles rained down onto him. _What?! What was that-?!_

 _"_ Earth release jutsu..." Kakashi's pained voice bit out from beside him. Obito's vision cleared and he registered the sight of his teammate covered in dirt beside him, pain revealing that he had been thrown in this direction as well. He was crouching beside him and slowly getting up out of the rubble, one arm clutching a dislocated shoulder. "Dammit."

"Earth release.." He echoed and scrambled to get up despite his aching bones. So the attacks would be coming from below...

Another ominous rumble from the ground. Obito and Kakashi exchanged glances before using their chakra to jump above the rising rocks that threatened to crush them. Boulders crashed on the ground where they had been previously sitting. It left a scar on the landscape.

"Kakashi!" Obito yelled when they landed and pointed to a clearing in the dust. One solitary figure stood, his hand poised in the telltale handsign for "snake" common for earth techniques. He was dressed in black, a distinct lack of headband concealing his village origins. On his face, a twisted, sadistic smile grew.

Obito's eyes widened as he read the words from the enemy's mouth.

"Release!"

The ground exploded again.

This time, Obito's hands frantically formed the familiar seals for Horse, Bear and Tiger. Heat fanned against his lips as he blew with all of the air in his lungs.

"FIREBALL RELEASE!" Flames exploded from his mouth and blinded them in a striking yellow light. The force of the fireball propelled all incoming rocks in the other direction. He hoped that one had hit the mysterious enemy shinobi because so far this battle was not working in their favor.

If Kakashi hadn't been focused on not dying, he might have been impressed with the Uchiha's show of ninjutsu. However, given the stakes, Obito's show had only made him curse, because a jutsu like that would have eaten up a considerable amount of Obito's chakra.

 _Evasion._ Kakashi realized from his stupefied position on the ground. Their opponent was obviously more skilled and his assaults were meant to tire them out. If they weren't careful, they would deplete their chakra before even landing one blow on the enemy. They had to be _strategic._

 _"_ Obito!" He yelled. "Go to the camp and get Minato-sensei!" The camp wasn't too far away. Eventually, someone would come given the alarming explosions, but they needed backup quick. This was just one ninja- there could be more within the treeline. Minato would be more than fast. He needed to know.

"Are you crazy?" Obito yelled back, dodging another rock. He furrowed his brows and let out an aggravated sigh. "I'm not going to leave you alone! We're teammates!"

Kakashi snarled. That damn Obito was always getting in the way! he just had to be stuck with the only Uchiha who actually cared enough to be loyal to their teammate.

Why couldn't he just make like a tree and fuck off!

"Just listen to me! I know what I'm doing!" Skillfully, he evaded another explosion from the ground and applied more chakra to his steps, moving faster than before. This ninja truly wasn't letting up! He had to wait for an opening...

"But you're hurt!"

Kakashi gritted his teeth and glared at Obito. Their enemy didn't need to know that. Ninja 101, never reveal your condition to the enemy. His shoulder ached like hell but it was nothing life threatening. Obito, on the other hand, looked more than worse for wear. His hair was dusted in gravel with blood gushing from a wound he obviously didn't acknowledge. Kakashi's arm would be fine, but if Obito kept pushing himself-

Momentarily distracted, Kakashi didn't sense the disruption of air behind his head before Obito's body slammed into his from the force of an incoming rock.

"What- Obito!" Kakashi's confusion lasted only a second before he perceived the knocked-out body of his teammate laying over him. The wound on his head explained his lack of response. His eyes were shut, his breath shallow but alive.

 _T_ _hat idiot!_ He should have just left when he told him too!

"Now it's just you and me, hmm?" Kakashi's head whipped around to the direction of the enemy's taunting voice. The man in black held out a hand in preparation to complete another jutsu. "Awfully mouthy that one was." A tilt of the head. A reference to his fallen friend, Obito.

"What do you want?" Kakashi's voice was ice. "Who sent you?"

It was unlikely the shinobi would answer, but he needed to distract him to buy time. Everyone knew villains loved to monologue.

The ninja squinted his eyes and took a menacing step forward. He paused as if considering the question.

"What do _I_ want?-" He was making the snake hand sign now. Kakashi regarded it carefully. The second he slammed it to the ground chaos would break loose."Is that really what you want to ask me?"

"Who do you work for?!" Kakashi pressed further, staring at his naked forehead. Even missing-nin wore their head plates proudly, albeit defiled. He was definitely hiding something.

The man frowned at the question and took another step forward.

 _So he doesn't want to answer the question? Interesting._

They were twenty feet apart now. Kakashi could detect the subtle fatigue in the rise and fall of his chest. So this fight was tiring him out too...

 _Just a few more steps closer_ and he'd have an opening. Hopefully, this would work. It would have to. He made one-handed seals behind his back.

"WHO?!"

"That voice..." One more step. His countenance had darkened considerably. "It's annoying."

The ninja prepared to slam his fist unto the ground but Kakashi beat him to it.

Pain reverberated up his good arm with the force of the strike.

 _LIGHTNING RELEASE! STRIKE OF A THOUSAND VOLTS!_

Blue electric shot from Kakashi's hands into the ground at the speed of light and reached the ninja in milliseconds. He didn't even have time to react before the lightning slammed into his body.

"ARRGHH!" A bloodcurdling scream. Burnt skin. Convulsions. The man's voice was unintelligible under the power of the jutsu. He fell into a steaming heap on the floor.

The silver-haired chunin gagged as the putrid smell filled his nostrils. His body began to sway as all of his energy began to drain away.

 _Tired._ H _e was tired._ Had he overdone it?

"KAKASHI! OBITO!"

Huh-? He could barely concentrate.

Maybe he had overdone it. That voice...it sounded like Rin's.

Was he hallucinating? Maybe he was. He was beyond exhausted.

"KAKASHI! Oh my god-!" The voice was louder now. Closer.

"Rin, step back."

There was a hand on his shoulder. He flinched almost instinctively and then relaxed when he perceived the concerned face of his sensei.

Minato was there. Good. They were safe. He was-

"What happened?!" Minato asked, confusion evident in his blue irises. He had heard the explosions and came to investigate. He wasn't expecting to find his students covered in gravel on an impromptu battlefield. The split, jagged rocks of the field told him this had been a violent encounter. And the man in black...

"Don't touch him," Kakashi croaked. "I used lightning-"

Everything went black as he crumpled to the floor in chakra exhaustion.

* * *

"Sensei..." Rin asked worriedly. "What do you think happened out there...?"

They were back at the camp now. Minato was staring out of the flap of the medic-tent in dark contemplation. His fingers were laced together and turning white with tension.

On two beds, Kakashi and Obito slept- or more accurately, laid unconscious.

They hadn't woken yet, and probably wouldn't for a long time based on their appearances. When Minato had arrived on the scene he'd seen the damage done to the grounds. Rocks everywhere. Whatever injuries they had sustained were not ones to be taken lightly.

Obito. The genin's head was wrapped in gauze, and when Minato had removed his trademark orange goggles, he was unsurprised to see a nasty purple bruise was forming on the knot right above his eye. His face was peaceful under the influence of unconsciousness, but the multiple scrapes to his cheeks soiled the image. The collar of his shirt was crusted in blood and dirt; his pants ripped and torn. The blow to his head had ultimately done him in, it would take some time to see how serious it actually was.

And Kakashi...the silver-haired chunin appeared disgruntled even in sleep. His hair was dusted with dirt, and his clothes sat in a similar state to Obito's. Rin had quickly adjusted his arm when she realized his shoulder was dislocated, and it now sat bandaged at his side. However, besides the soiled clothes and minor bruises, Kakashi was fairly untouched as opposed to Obito. His true injury it seemed, was Chakra exhaustion.

Minato frowned. Lightning Kakashi had said. Yes, that was fairly obvious by the state of the mysterious ninja who Minato had discovered to be quite dead at the scene- electrocuted, not surprising. The ninja had probably underestimated the children, and who wouldn't? Leave it to Kakashi to use a lightning technique against an earth user...that was the most strategic of moves. But, where had he learned it?

It had been powerful, obviously. And had used up a considerable amount of chakra; enough to put him in an artificial coma. That, and had left a trail of angry, blistered flesh on Kakashi's hands, which Rin subtly tried to heal using her limited medical ninjutsu. They wouldn't scar, thanks to her. Just how long had they been fighting before he had gotten there?

"Sensei-?" Rin's voice again. It startled him out of his thoughts. She quirked a concerned brow at his serious expression. How long had she been trying to gain his attention?

"Sensei...are you alright?"

 _Alright?_ Oh Rin...He didn't realize his expression had frightened her. He was her teacher after all, she looked to him for direction, for reassurance. He needed to provide that now.

He leveled his gaze to hers and gave her a tight-lipped smile and tried to soothe the tension in his shoulders.

"I'm fine." He reassured. And he was- so he answered the question that he knew was truly eating at her insecurity. "They will be fine too."

Rin visibly relaxed at his words. "Are...are you sure?" Tears brimmed behind her eyes but she didn't dare let them fall. She had to be strong. She was a kunoichi for god's sake! Her tears wouldn't help Kakashi or Obito. They'd just be useless.

Minato placed a warm hand on her shoulders. This time his voice was full of confidence.

"Yes. They're stronger than they look. Besides, they've done worse to each other." He referenced back to their constant sparring at previous training sessions. The light joke seemed to bring a ghost of a smile to the girl's lips, but exhaustion was evident in the bags under her eyes. This night had been both physically and mentally draining for her, it seemed. "You should rest though. Get some sleep."

"O-okay.." Rin complied. She would have liked to stay at her teammate's sides but Minato was right. If she tired herself out she'd have been useless too...and she didn't want to be dead weight. And...his advising tone was more than convincing. "I'll come back, tomorrow."

Minato nodded. "I'll be here too."

The brunette disappeared out of the tent and left the Namikaze again with his thoughts.

He rubbed his temples in frustration this time.

Two of his students involved in a battle with a mysterious enemy ninja who used _earth release._ He already knew how that sounded. Two Konoha ninja, against a mysterious ninja coming in the direction of Kusagakure, where Iwa troops were known to be stationed. Everyone knew that Iwa-nin were famous for their affinity for earth jutsu...whether or not _this_ ninja was one was only of consequence. What it sounded like was a _potential_ iwa-nin had attacked Konoha shinobi...

And those implications, well...they spoke volumes. News with implications...bad news, always spread like wildfire.

Minato's glower darkened. They were already on this "mission" to foster better relationships with the other genin teams because of the possibility of war. None of them knew that the chunin exams had been postponed...or at least, not yet. With the new developments...and now _this,_ Minato wouldn't have been surprised if all of the genin were promoted automatically upon return to the village. Why waste future soldiers in an arbitrary exam anyway, right? It had been done before.

And this battle...could be the straw to break the camel's back.

He stepped out of the tent and took long, determined strides towards a corner of the camp where we knew he nobody would see. On his way there, many curious genin glanced his way, undoubtedly they'd heard the news themselves...but he didn't have time to entertain their possible questions. The news was spreading too fast...and he had to make sure to inform the Hokage immediately.

When he was sure he was alone, Minato quickly unsheathed a kunai and nicked his left hand with it. When a pinprick of blood rose to the surface, he channeled a bit of chakra into his fingers and slammed his hand unto the ground.

 _WOOSH!_

 _A_ plume of smoke appeared in front of his hand. When it cleared, Gerotora, his summoning toad, sat with an expectant look up at him.

"You look like shit." The amphibian observed. He'd encountered the man, on days both good and bad, but today the jonin looked downright serious. And given their surroundings right now, which was in the middle of some type of forest- the man had some kind of secret that needed to be delivered.

"Nice to see you too Gerotora..." Minato blanched. He would have continued their banter further if not for the circumstances.

Sensing the severity of the Namikaze's mood, the toad opened his scroll.

"How can I be of assistance?" He finally sighed.

Minato wasted no time in composing a terse but effective message.

"Go now." He advised after he finished relaying all of the necessary information. "And be fast."

The toad nodded and disappeared into the obscurity of the night. Today's events would reach Konoha soon enough.

Time would only tell how they would react. But for now, Minato knew one thing.

They were going home.

* * *

 ** _~oOo~_**

* * *

 ** _Just wrote this in one day. Well, gotta catch up on my NaNoWriMo goals now._**

 ** _Until Next Update~_**

 ** _-dreamwithiniadream262_**

 ** _ALSO BIG THANKS TO SANDAFAIRY FOR BETA READING THIS CHAPTER FOR ME_**


	7. Chapter 7

_"Something that is yours forever is never precious."_

 _-Chaim Potok_

* * *

 _ **~oOo~**_

* * *

Chiyoko was startled awake by the violent opening of her bedroom door.

Her eyes shot open instantly, alarmed by the volume of the noise. Heart pounding, she searched the room for the source of the sound until they settled on the doorway and she gasped in shock, a breath catching in her throat.

There was a figure in the doorframe. And by the looks of it, it was _staring_ straight at her.

The temptation to hide under the covers and pretend that the shadowed silhouette was not there died as she realized this was not another dream version of a false awakening, and that her blurred vision was _not_ wrong.

The figure raised a rapid hand.

Chiyoko flinched back and raised her sheet in a defensive shield.

And then, the darkness disappeared.

Light illuminated the room and was momentarily blinding. As Chiyoko's eyes adjusted, her fear somewhat subsided as she recognized the identity of the figure as Granny standing in the doorway. A relieved sigh bubbled past her lips, but confusion still abounded as the reason for the woman's sudden appearance in her room evaded her. By the previous darkness, it didn't look like it was their normal time of waking; and why had Granny been standing there anyway?

Something was _off._

"We're leaving in five minutes. Get ready." The elderly woman said in a voice that was low and urgent, although her tone was lost on the girl who instead focused on the more alarming aspect of the statement.

 _Leaving._ In five minutes?

"Where?" Through squinted vision, Chiyoko's eyes landed on the clock by her bedside. _3:35 a.m._ it read. It was early. _Very early._ Too early for errands or going to the market. They never woke up at this time.

She revised her question, brows knitting in tired confusion. " _Why?"_

When Granny's face fell at the inquiry, Chiyoko realized something was very wrong. From her position, she vaguely deciphered an alien emotion emanating from the woman; an emotion so unusual in fact, its presence could only imply something sinister.

The older woman wore pure unadulterated _worry_ , and it was futilely concealed despite her strenuous efforts to school her features into apathy.

Where a usual warm smile perched, an unnerving frown sat in the downturn of her lips. Her eyes were bloodshot, open wide with..panic? And her hands...

Chiyoko's gaze narrowed on the one clutching the knob. Although almost concealed by the billowing fabric of the woman's nightgown, she glimpsed the trembling of fingers.

Granny...was...was she scared?

The sight of her indomitable grandmother, a full grown adult with fortitude forged from years of experience, through war and peacetime, _shaking_ like a leaf in her doorway in the dead of the night...

It was downright terrifying.

She met eyes with the woman for seconds which seemed to stretch into eternity. Between them, waves of anxiety crashed over the otherwise calm environment of the small room. A room, that seemed much smaller, and much more suffocating in that specific moment. Chiyoko's heart pounded so loudly in her chest she wouldn't have been surprised if Granny could hear it.

Unease wound her stomach in knots.

"Where-?" She repeated again, nervously. Her voice was small but thunderous in the otherwise silent room.

The question seemed to snap Granny out of her momentary trance. The woman inhaled a deep breath while stabilizing herself along the door before finding her voice again. When it finally came out, it was through gritted teeth.

Two words.

"The Hospital."

Chiyoko _froze._

 _Hospital._ That word abruptly tore her out of her post-sleep haze and into reality, although the implications were worse than her nightmares. If she wasn't awake before, she was now because _that_ word commanded her full attention.

 _Why?_

Granny didn't look like she was hurt, and she wasn't either by her own knowledge...which meant something else was going on, and by Granny's expression, something _bad._ Something _really_ bad if the woman was so disturbed.

A memory from the last time they had gone to the village hospital under the context of a certain someone's training accidents came to mind. A certain someone, who _would_ cause such a reaction from _their_ grandmother.

"Obito...? She asked, worriedly, fearing the answer.

 _Please don't be true. Please don't be true._

Her fears were confirmed with the deepening of Granny's frown and a curt nod accompanied by a bewildered expression.

"We must go. Quick." And then the older woman disappeared out of the doorway to put on her shoes.

Chiyoko didn't need to be told twice.

She readied in _seconds._

After practically leaping out of bed, the little girl haphazardly threw on clothes without much forethought or care to match or to even stop and brush her hair; not that she usually cared much anyway. Granny, however...she always bothered to make sure Chiyoko was dressed and groomed accordingly. On a normal day Chiyoko could have cheered at the prospects of being able to skip the oh-so-boring and tedious routine that she barely valued given her age...but now the lack of admonition was just another reminder to the odd event.

Fumbling with her shoes, Chiyoko hastened her pace as Granny's shadow flitted across the hallway and towards the living room. When she finally fastened the clasps on her sandals, she quickened to trail behind the woman who simply regarded her with an acknowledging nod, although her gaze was more dazed than determined.

The door opened, and an abyss of darkness stretched in uninvitingly in front of them.

Granny took the first step without hesitating. Chiyoko apprehensively followed suit.

She'd never been outside when it was night _before._

There was a slight, foreboding chill in the air and an almost imperceptible fog that clung low to the weathered, unpaved path. The moon cast a faint blue glow that illuminated the otherwise shadowed street, and the only spectators to their midnight escapade were the grasshoppers that punctuated the silence with a low hum, and echo of their fear-fueled steps on the ground. Much different to the lively sights of the day.

Turning another corner, Chiyoko considered imploring Granny as to the full circumstances as to why, how and _what_ caused Obito to be in the hospital and not still on his mission, but found it impossible to vocalize in the moment. Her words died in her throat as she spied the increasingly daunting expression granny wore, which only multiplied her panic. So she channeled her rising adrenaline and focused on the simple task of walking, although her mind was exploding with worry.

Was Obito okay? Was he injured? Was he _alive?_

She was too worried to cry.

They continued like that in silence; past the intimidating facade of the military Police Force Building, past the imposing walls of the Uchiha Compound, through shadowy back alleyways, and over bridges, fear-fueled steps propelling them forward with record speed.

When they stepped unto the eerie, now empty streets of the marketplace, Chiyoko stumbled over an uneven section of the pavement. When her exposed knee connected with the rough, gravel-coated ground, she suppressed a yelp of both surprise and pain. However, the girl quickly scrambled back to her feet as Granny continued to walk ahead unaware of her. She didn't look down for even a second to assess the wound.

Two streets later, the exterior of the hospital came into view.

The building was painted white, with green shutters than covered some of the many windows that glowed with yellow light as healing was a twenty-four-hour endeavor. A red sign that was inscribed with the symbol for "healing" hung over the front of the entrance, and even from a distance, multiple figures could be seen either inside or out of the building. However, the most striking feature of the building was its size, that is it was _humungous,_ and for good reason too. Founded by Mito Uzumaki during Konoha's early years to serve a _shinobi_ village, its purpose was carefully considered and planned.

-But Chiyoko didn't have much time to marvel over the architectural qualities of the building given the circumstances. All she wondered was _which_ one of those windows and rooms she would find Obito behind, and how long it would be until they got there.

As she trailed behind Granny who pushed through the front glass-doors, a gust of cool air greeted their entrance and she shivered.

While the streets of Konoha were practically dead, the hospital was buzzing with chaotic energy.

Nurses, doctors, and other various medic-nin weaved determined, purposeful steps through the main lobby. Their expressions matched the temperature of the building: cold and severe, but most of all _exhausted._ The harsh fluorescent lighting only intensified the impersonal atmosphere of the building and washed everything out in a forbidding glow. Most of all which contributed to the foreboding ambiance were the horrifying shrieks of pain that echoed from the many halls.

Just where was Obito in a place like this?

As Chiyoko followed closely behind Granny, she peeped past the woman's back and caught eyes with one of the doctors walking towards them. She blinked owlishly as his deep-set frown morphed into the upturned quirk of a half-hearted smile. Raising one hand in the air, he gave a friendly, acknowledging wave.

The gesture supposedly was an attempt of reassurance at her dismal look, but it was in vain. Chiyoko didn't return the smile or wave, instead of more transfixed on the violent splatter of scarlet on his lab-coat. She didn't focus on it for long, however, as another blood-curdling scream rang from down the hallway. An absolutely chilling sound, that was shrill and earsplitting until fading into unintelligible sobs.

Outside, the hardened Shinobi of Konoha who guarded the hospital barely flinched.

Chiyoko clutched Granny's arms tight and shut her eyes.

This place was worse than a nightmare. She was terrified for Obito.

They continued their descent into the depths of the building.

* * *

Twenty-three minutes.

That was how long it took to find the trauma ward of the hospital. Each wrong twist and turn down the labyrinth of hallways was agony, but Chiyoko was somewhat relieved to know that with each step they were getting closer to see Obito. When they finally neared the particular unit, Granny had beelined for the receptionist who after hearing Obito's name, informed them that she would be right back with them.

That had been three minutes ago. Now, Chiyoko bit her nails anxiously as she sat in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs of the lobby.

She looked down at her dangling legs that didn't quite touch the ground and then sideways to catch a glimpse of Granny who sat unmoving and resolute. At that moment, Chiyoko was shocked to discover how much older her grandmother looked in that moment. Under the influence of worry, the woman's true age showed. The juxtaposition of her youthful attitude to her worn-out look was more than disconcerting.

Granny simply looked _tired._ Physically, and emotionally.

Chiyoko reached a small hand and gingerly grasped Granny's wrinkled one which quickly engulfed hers. She squeezed the woman's hand and tried to provide any type of comfort she could. After a few seconds, a squeeze back from the study, weathered palm responded back.

A yawn suddenly escaped her lips and she became aware of how heavy her lids felt. It was still quite early in the morning after all. It had been what, just a little over an hour since they left the house? An hour since she was startled out of sleep. An ordinary morning turned sinister...

She allowed her heavy eyelids to close for a brief moment and felt her mind starting to slip back into unconsciousness.

The impromptu nap-session didn't last long, however, as Granny bristled beside her and shot up unexpectedly. The sudden movement chased away black spots that dotted her vision.

Chiyoko rubbed her eyes and realized she could hear footsteps in their direction.

The receptionist had returned.

Two pointed questions instantly spouted from the older woman's lips.

"How is he? Can we see him?"

Chiyoko craned to hear the answer.

"He's stable, although unconscious at the moment." Stable. Thank God. _"And,_ yes- currently he's in room 235. It's the first door on the right, you can't mistake it." Through bleared vision, Chiyoko saw that the woman was pointing down the hall.

"Thank you." Granny thanked graciously, her eyes following the path of the receptionist's finger.

"No problem. When you get there I would just advise you on keeping your volume low. Both of them have sustained trauma to the head. We're still doing tests, but it's just a precaution."

"Both of them?"

The woman smiled sympathetically.

"Yes. Both he and teammate Hatake Kakashi were admitted." A pause. "They didn't tell you what happened?"

Granny frowned in displeasure. "I'm afraid not. The messenger hawk I received was rather vague."

 _Messager Hawk?_ When had one come? Well, thinking about it, that would explain how Granny would have known to come to the hospital. Although...being awoken to a messenger hawk banging on your window...well that would have been an unpleasant experience.

"Ahh, I see. As I was told there was a confrontation on their mission." Seeing Granny's alarmed look, the receptionist backpeddled. "But they caught whoever did it- the perpetrator is _dead._ "

Chiyoko paled and remembered her conversation with Obito from the month prior.

Did he- had he..?

She wouldn't get the answer as Granny abandoned further elaboration to surge toward room 235.

* * *

Letting out an unsteady breath, Chiyoko's jaw tensed as she attempted to withhold the tears that threatened to escape.

Obito looked absolutely dreadful.

His commonly unruly hair was caked in dirt. And the injuries...

A jagged scrape and various cuts adorned his cheeks, creating a painful tapestry of across his face. They were truly superficial and unnoteworthy wounds, but to civilian eyes, it didn't make a difference. As the doctors had stripped away his dirty shirt, old scars and new alike shown on his torso, some Chiyoko was surprised to realize she had never noticed before.

Most alarming though was the nasty yellow-purple that bruise that bloomed from under the white gauze of a white bandage wrapped around his head.

Just what had actually happened?

Vague snapshots from past dreams seemed to superimpose themselves upon the image she was perceiving, and Chiyoko blinked and shook her head to chase away the invasive thoughts.

No, this wasn't a dream. The Obito in front of her didn't match the gruesome images of her imagination. This one, his chest rose and fell, and although his pallor was pale, there was still _color_. This Obito, this was _real._

 _"_ He sustained a linear skull fracture, so we still have to keep him here for a few more days of observation." That was the doctor speaking with Granny. "When he wakes up, I don't doubt he will also show signs of a concussion. It's a good thing his sensei got him here so quick, shinobi have a bad track record of taking head-trauma seriously."

If Obito had been awake he would have laughed. They didn't call Minato the Yellow Flash for nothing. A yellow flash who was currently at the Hokage tower to debrief.

"When...do you think he will wake up?"

The doctor pursed his lips. "That's a tough question to answer. The brain is a very complicated organ, and the blow to his head was severe. Truth be told, his injuries are almost ridiculously minor compared to what they should be. That being said...I'm optimistic that given his vitals he should show improvement within the week."

"I see. Well, that's good to hear." She made a note to thank Minato the next time she saw him. "And..him?"

It took a second for the doctor to realize that Granny was referring to Kakashi, whose bed sat a few feet away from Obito's. Chiyoko had almost forgotten that he was there as well.

Her gaze shifted over to the bed where he lay, also unconscious. He didn't seem to be fairing so much better than Obito, although she couldn't tell much as nobody had thought to remove his trademark mask. Whatever scapes he did have were obscured by it. The only signs of injury were the formation of bags under his characteristically tired eyes.

Somehow, even in sleep, Kakashi Hatake was still able to manage a disgruntled expression.

After a few seconds of staring, she realized his eyes were twitching. Maybe he was dreaming?

"Ah _him._ Chakra exhaustion. His body is also in a coma-like state for the time being until his reserves recover." A pause. "Must've been some jutsu.." The medic mused aloud.

Especially if it ate up the reserves of a known _prodigy_ with _great_ reserves.

The doctor made a mental note to ring up one of the Hyuga specialists to detect just _how_ much chakra the boy had used. Perhaps Hideaki was working on the next shift? With the Bayakugan figuring out such information would be more than easy.

Granny digested the information with solemnity. She didn't know much about ninja but came to the same conclusion.

Chiyoko was still stuck on the prospect that chakra could run out.

"So, back to the head injury. How long will he be out of commission?"

"Well, if he does have a concussion, a few days at the least and weeks at the most...depending on the severity of course." Before he could explain more, a sudden buzz rang from the doctor's pockets signaling an emergency. here was a sudden buzz from the doctor's pockets. "Ah, seems I'm needed elsewhere! You're both welcome to stay if you'd like. Call the nurse if you need anything!"

And with that, the doctor briskly strode out of the room, leaving Chiyoko and Granny behind.

An awkward silence stretched out between them and Obito's body.

Chiyoko watched as Granny sunk beside her and breathed out a long sigh, tension visibly deflating form her shoulders. When the woman looked up, she gave her a small smile, the first of that morning.

As if a dam had broken, the tears Chiyoko had been holding back poured out in a torrent, her suppressed emotions from the entire debacle suddenly overwhelming. She had been so _scared_ , so _worried_ , so _tired._ When granny had startled her out of sleep and said it was Obito at the hospital...she'd almost thought her nightmares had come true.

Another wave of tears cascaded down her cheeks. Granny stretched out a warm hand and drew her into a tight embrace.

"Shhh, shhh. Everything is going to be alright." She soothed as Chiyoko hiccuped into her chest. "Everything is going to be alright."

After feeling like all of the energy had left her body, Chiyoko succumbed to a fitful sleep.

...

Granny smoothed the little girl's hair in her lap and gazed over to her grandson on the hospital bed. The note from the messenger hawk still burned in her pocket.

"Just what am I going to do with the two of you?"

* * *

When Chiyoko awoke it was high noon.

Groggily, she stretched and raised a defending hand to block out the light that poured through the window. Ss she rose, she realized that she now sat in a chair adjacent to the bed, a blanket expertly tucked around her. To her chagrin, she also realized that Granny wasn't there.

As Chiyoko took in the room, she suddenly became aware that there was company.

An unfamiliar figure stood over Kakashi's bed, and from her position, she could only discern their long brown hair, longer than her own even. From crisp white of his medic uniform, it was obvious he was a doctor...one that, by the rigidness of his posture, was intently observing Kakashi. And, he _radiated_ power.

As if sensing her gaze on his back, the doctor turned around and his milky- _white_ irises landed on her.

Chiyoko was momentarily mystified.

"Good morning." He said politely. When she didn't respond and simply stared back at his eyes, he suppressed some amusement. Seems she hadn't met many Hyugas. It was a common reaction from children...although...for an Uchiha to be shocked by uncommon eyes, well that was rather ironic. "Did you sleep well?"

"Y-yes." She cocked a curious head to the side and he watched as her onyx hair fanned widely around her head.

Something about it was familiar, although he couldn't quite place it.

"Who are you?"

"I am Hyuga Hideaki, the head medic here," He responded coolly "And you?" his tone was inquiring, entertaining.

 _Hyuga._ That name was familiar...buy why? A clan perhaps? did they all have such pretty eyes?

"Ah, Uchiha Chiyoko." She felt like squirming under his intense gaze. It was almost like, he had been shocked? for a moment, but the expression disappeared as soon as she'd thought she'd seen it.

 _Chiyoko._ Yes, that name did register somewhere in his memory. He'd only heard it once, and never thought he would again, especially not from the mouth of its owner.

Who would have thought that he would have met the child of Uchiha Ayumu and Uchiha Masa, today, in a hospital room only halls away from where he had witnessed her tumultuous birth?

It was a small world, village, indeed.

"-That's my brother, Obito. And that's Kashi." She was pointing now, to the respective boys.

He hadn't realized he was distracted.

"Ah." Hideaki simply replied. "I see."

 _Brother?_ So that's where she'd ended up. By her affectionate tone, he doubted she knew he wasn't her _real_ kin. But that hardly mattered, and he didn't really care to think about it. If anything, he was slightly happy to see that the girl had grown up healthy despite her traumatic birth.

Turning around to retrieve his clipboard, Hideaki effectively ended the conversation with the little girl. Activating his Byakugan again, he noticed she was _still_ staring at him- and most relieving, that her chakra development was _normal._

That Mangekyo hadn't had any lasting damage. Good.

Hideaki returned to the task he had been completing before their small conversation and jotted some notes about Kakashi's reserves. They were surely depleted but were on their way to recovery. He would have to talk to his sensei and advise against using whatever jutsu that had caused the damage again.

Chiyoko watched as he strode out of the room.

Sinking into the warm blanket again, Chiyoko frowned.

She was alone again.

When Granny returned, an hour later, it was with some well-deserved breakfast.

* * *

They stayed at the hospital for three days.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Chiyoko asked worriedly. Granny had left the room to retrieve some things from home and left her in the care of Rin who had come to visit. She was now sitting on the girl's lap, who was absentmindedly braiding the little girl's hair. Anything to distract her from her anxious thoughts.

"Well Chiyo, he did get hit pretty hard." Rin explained, fastening a hair-tye to the new braid she'd weaved. "His brain is repairing itself."

"But for how long?!" Chiyoko cried. She'd been staring at this bed for days, and nothing was happening. It was all so frustrating!

"For as long as it takes." Rin didn't want to admit that she also didn't know.

Chiyoko suddenly turned in her lap.

"Rin...?" Chiyoko looked up at the warm face of her brother's teammate, and then up to the blue hitai-ate emblazoned with the Konoha crest that gleamed under the overhead lights.

"Hm?" Rin didn't flinch back when the girl's fingers traced the cool metal.

"Why did you want to become a ninja?"

"Why?"

She was shocked to find the little girl's hardened expression.

"Ninja get hurt..." a reference to her brother. "Ninja hurt nii-san and Kashi." Chiyoko looked up with intense concern that momentarily took Rin's breath away. "What if you got hurt?"

She was scared, and rightfully so. Ninja did get hurt. Ninja died every day. But still...

"If I got hurt, it would be my choice." Rin's voice was soft. She smoothed a hand over Chiyoko's hair. "You are right, being a ninja you do get hurt. But, we do it knowingly."

"Why? Why would you choose to get hurt?"

She couldn't wrap her mind around it. If Obito hadn't been a ninja, he would have not gotten hurt. He would have been at home with her and Granny, without the interruption of missions and gaining of scars. He wouldn't be unconscious on a bed for god-knows-how-long if he hadn't been a ninja. He wouldn't-

"To protect our loved ones." Rin's answer shook her out of her inner tangent. "To protect everyone."

The answer was oddly reminiscent to the one Obito had provided the night before he left.

 _"And everyone, every shinobi in Konoha loves the village, because the people we love are here, and we'd do anything to protect our precious people. And if anything ever tried to take that away we'd fight for it. It's called the Will of Fire. Everyone in the village has the Will of Fire, including you and me. And that is why I am going to become Hokage someday. So I can protect everyone."_

"-I train and study so I can help others. If I got hurt, I would do so protecting Obito or Kakashi, or both. I'd die protecting them. If I got hurt to spare someone else pain, it'd be worth it."

Rin's eyes were firey and full of emotion. Her words were full of conviction.

"Just like Obito would do for you, or me, or anybody without hesitation."

Chiyoko finally understood.

It was why her brother always came home with stories about helping people, although every time he'd be late to training. It was why he trained so hard; for hours, without stopping. It was why she found him, more than once, passed out in the yard in exhaustion- or studying late into the night for an academy test, even when he didn't pass. It was why he went on missions. Everything in service of a goal: to become Hokage. _So I can protect everyone._

Pain for protection.

If she could have traded places with Obito in that moment, to take his pain, she would've. If she were to get hurt in his place, she would've.

"Do you understand?" Rin asked.

"I just wish...I just..." Chiyoko stumbled with her words, "I just wish that I could help him."

She felt _weak._ Helpless. She couldn't do _anything._ Just sit and watch. It was agonizing.

"Me too." Rin agreed mournfully. "Me too."

...

Later that night, after Rin had returned home and Granny was sound asleep on the chair beside her, Chiyoko stared at the ceiling and pondered.

Obito's answer. Her nightmares. His face.

Kurenai's question.

 _"Would you ever want to become a ninja?"_

Before, she hadn't known what she thought about the prospect...but after speaking with Rin, she knew her answer.

If being a ninja meant protecting people, then it meant she could protect Obito, or at least try. Anything was better than just sitting and watching on the sidelines while things happened and you couldn't do anything about it.

A newfound sense of agency coursed through her veins as her gaze leveled on Obito's face.

Whenever that was when he woke up, she would ask him to train her.

She would become a ninja.

* * *

 ** _~oOo~_**

* * *

 ** _EYYYY we're at 30k now!_**

 **This chapter was originally going to be super long, but I split it in half (the next will be out soon) because it would have been too long. Funny story, halfway through writing this my power went out! But thankfully I remembered what I wrote so this chapter was saved.**

 **Also planned out the next 10 chapters and I'm psyched!**

 **C'yall next update, and I hope your Thanksgivings were all spectacular!**

 **Review?**

 **~Dreamwithinadream262**


	8. Chapter 8

" _When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too."_

 _― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist_

* * *

 _ **~oOo~**_

* * *

 _ **Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...**_

Where was that sound coming from?

 _ **Beep...Beep...Beep…**_

Each soundwave that infiltrated his eardrum brought with it a burst of pain. At first, he registered it as a dull throb, but with each passing second, it increased in severity, pulsing with the flow of his blood.

 _ **Beep. pulse. Beep. Throb. Beep.**_

 _God, someone make it stop!_

The last thing he remembered was the vague halo of a brilliant sunset. Everything else was fuzzy; like someone had erased over his memories and he was left staring at what was left of a blurry afterimage. They were almost there, but inaccessible. _Frustrating._

A dull ache ignited and spread like wildfire across the lower section of his back. He was laying on something, he realized. A hard, unforgiving surface. Hands grasping blindly across, the stiff sensation of fabric under his fingers signaled the presence of a blanket.

 _What…?_

He hadn't remembered falling asleep in his tent at the encampment, and he didn't remember his sheets being this _thin._

 ** _Beep..Beep..Beep.._**

Just where was that sound coming from?! Why was it so loud!

Clasping an arm over his ears, he tried to block out the incessant noise that only worsened his already pulsating headache. This was worse than the birds that usually woke him up, worse than Kakashi's stupid alarm clock.

 _Wait._

Kakashi. The sunset. They had been on patrol. It had been so hot. _Sweltering._

Cold air prickled his exposed skin.

Their tents weren't air-conditioned…

 ** _BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP_**

Obito's eyes flew open.

White.

A wave of dizziness accompanied a sudden stinging pain behind the corneas. Squinting, his vision started to come into focus; first, the rough outlines of a bed, and then the blur of a moving blob of tan and purple- wait were those his hands?!

He swiveled to the side and caught a sudden glimpse of silver that sharpened to form the image of Kakashi's sleeping body, half concealed by a glaringly white hospital sheet.

He quickly realized they were indeed not at the encampment any longer.

"What happened…?" he croaked through dry lips.

Behind, there was a faint rustling and a sharp intake of breath.

"He's awake! Granny! He's awake! Granny!"

A childish voice. Why did that sound like-?

"What…? Oh- Obito!"

A sudden weight collided with his torso. Wide-eyed, Obito looked down and perceived a mass of onyx hair pressing into his chest, and pudgy arms grasping around his back.

"Chiyoko...?! What-?" Confusion colored his tone. "Granny?"

Where was Rin? And Minato? What had happened-?!

"You're in the hospital," Granny explained at the sight of his bewildered expression. "In Konoha."

It was then that the memories returned.

 _Kunai. Boulders. The rock. Kakashi. Black._

Reaching a tentative hand up, his fingers met the rough texture of bandages.

 _Aw Shit._

What had he done?

* * *

...

No less than an hour after he had woken up, doctors descended like a flock of vultures to check Obito's condition. At the moment, the interrogator was in the form of a youthful civilian doctor named Ryota, whose inquiries were increasingly irritating under the influence of a major headache. Obito answered them all without resistance, although all he wanted to do was sleep.

"What is your name?"

"Uchiha Obito."

"How old are you?"

"Eleven. I turn twelve in February."

"Who is the current Hokage?"

Obito's lips quirked up in the ghost of a smile.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen. The God of Shinobi."

Ryota looked up from his clipboard, and Obito thought the questions were over, until..

"What do you last remember?"

"I-" he faltered momentarily before leveling a steady eye with the doctor who stared back with an expectant look. "I remember that I was on patrol. And then we were under attack. Kakashi told me to leave and get Minato but I said no...and then there was a rock, and I...I just jumped in front of it...and then, black."

Ryota digested the story and quickly scribbled something down on the notebook he had been carrying. _No memory loss._ He noted. Good. The boy still displayed some lingering disorientation from his abrupt awakening, but permanent memory loss didn't seem to be in the cards for him.

"Good news, you don't have amnesia." Coupled with the linear skull fracture, that was almost miraculous. "-But you are displaying the signs of a moderate concussion."

The way the boy continued to squint under the morning rays, his inadvertent aversion and negative reaction to loud noises, and the slight slur that trailed his words hadn't escaped the Doctor's watchful eye.

"The symptoms should clear up in the next few weeks, and until then I would advise that you don't participate in any strenuous activities." A question immediately shone in the genin's eyes. "And yes that includes training."

"Few weeks? But how am I supposed to-" Obito's exclamation was cut short as he leaned a little too far forward into a beam of direct sunlight. He winced, feeling nauseous."Ugghhh…."

Had the sun always been so painfully bright?

"That's the light sensitivity." Ryota blanched. "And if you don't rest, it could become permanent."

"Permanent…?" He gritted, cradling his head. Funny how such a small throb of the head could be so incapacitating for the whole body.

"Yes. As of right now, you're at a great risk of post-concussion syndrome." Even the click of the doctor's pen was razor-sharp. "The more you over-exert yourself, the worse it'll become. For now, youth is on your side to making a full recovery, but if you continue to train in this state, any future head trauma will only be worse. Do you understand?"

He had been barely listening to the whole tangent, but concentrated enough to catch the general idea. Training meant prolonged injury. And prolonged injury meant more missed training, and he couldn't afford either of those things.

"I understand…"

This time Ryota smiled. Usually, Shinobi were relentlessly stubborn in taking medical advice. The lot of them were famous for throwing caution to the wind. That, and usually very grumpy at even the suggestion of taking anything that resembled a break (Ryota considered that ninja didn't even know the true meaning of leisure as a word that didn't involve weapons or sparring).

The last time he'd had to prescribe time off, a rather injured jonin had just glared menacingly back without a word. It wasn't his fault they'd received third-degree burns! Leave it to them to blame the messenger.

And ANBU, he didn't want to think about them...

But genin...they were easier. Most likely to heed a doctor's advice. _Thank God._

"Do you have any questions for me?" Ryota asked, finalizing the notes of his report on the boy. Briefly, he mused that for someone who has slept for a week, the Uchiha looked far from well-rested.

"Just one. When can I go home?"

After being an unwilling captive to a bed for a week, all Obito wanted was the comforting taste of Granny's food, a well-deserved nap in a real bed, and most of all...a shower.

"Tomorrow. There are still some tests needed to determine if you're 100% ready. We like to err on the side of caution in these types of situations."

"And if I were to say I felt fine?" Obito mused. It was an obvious lie.

"Even if you were feeling fine right now, we'd still need to confirm before releasing you."

"Fine…" He accepted and yawned. "Do I need to answer any more questions?"

"No, that is all." Ryota's coat was slightly wrinkled as he got up from the chair beside the bed. "I'll send your family back in." He said before leaving the room.

Seconds later, Chiyoko and Granny materialized back.

"Hey..." He said, squinting.

Chiyoko regarded his dismal expression with a smile. He was back to his normal self, and even if it wasn't in his best state, it was better than nothing. So much better than staring at his unconscious face.

When she'd woken up to the sight of him, sitting up with a look of pure confusion, she couldn't contain her shock and immediately had woken Granny, who had subsequently grabbed the first nurse who passed by the door. The Doctor's interlude had been an unwelcome, but necessary interruption and Chiyoko was just happy that they were in the same room again.

She didn't hesitate to crush him in another hug.

"I missed you.." She revelled in his touch and tightened her arms around him as if her hold would anchor him to place and he'd never be able to leave again. "I really really missed you."

"I can feel that!" Obito laughed weakly. Her embrace was so tight it was almost painful, and it conveyed all of her worry for him. His gaze dropped as he laid a hand on her back.

His voice was soft "I missed you too."

"I nearly had a heart attack when a hawk told me you were in the hospital," Granny stated emotionally. "And then, seeing you unconscious like that.."

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to." He said, remorse washing over his features. Undoubtedly everyone was concerned for him, that was obvious by the bags under Granny's eyes. The fact that he had been the reason for such worry filled him with shame. His shoulders slackened and he averted his gaze.

"I know. I know." Granny knew her grandson was a ninja, injuries were inevitable. But seeing him like that, it reminded her of the last time she'd seen his father, her son, in the morgue. She made quick strides and threw her arms around him as well. "It's not your fault. I just love you so much."

Obito looked up at his relatives who were draped over his shoulders.

Everything felt heavy in the moment.

"Wow, who knew that taking a rock to the head would have you all professing your love to me. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea afterall."

At the utterance of the absurd joke, both Granny and Chiyoko burst into a fit of well-needed laughter. It was a magical sound, that chased away the dark, oppressing cloud that has seemed to hover over them. The serious atmosphere had been starting to become seriously depressing.

 _Much better._ Obito thought as he joined their chorus of giggles, that was, until he grimaced at the constricting of his chest.

The doctors had been so focussed on the concussion, they had completely overlooked his bruised ribs.

"Are you okay?!" Chiyoko burst, sensing the tension in his chest as she lay against it.

He waved her off and gave a gritted smile.

"Nothing Nii-san can't handle."

Although she didn't fully believe him, his words diminished her worry. She snuggled deeper into his chest.

"But Chiyo-chan?"

Her lashes fluttered open again.

"Yes?"

"Could you maybe hug a little softer?"

She looked down to her arms that were quite literally crushing her brother and realized the grimace on his face was partly due to her. "Oh! Yes!" Reluctantly, she loosened them.

"They tell me you can leave tomorrow," Granny said, also detangling herself from the children. "And you're not going back to training for a month?"

He nodded, albeit lamentably.

On the other hand, Chiyoko's heart soared.

Tomorrow? And he was staying for a month without training? She couldn't have been happier at the prospect. It would be like old times, they would finally have fine together- and now she could definitely ask him to teach her!

Granny's relief was apparent. "I'll, I'll be happy to have you home." She then remembered they themselves hadn't been in there in days. "Oh, I have to clean!" The fridge was probably empty too, she had to shop to make his favorite dish. "Chiyoko, come with me, we have to go to the market!"

For once, the little girl was more content to stay put.

"Do I have to?" She whined. "I want to stay with Obito."

She couldn't leave just yet! Not when she'd just gotten him back.

"It's okay Chiyo. Go with Granny. You'll see me tomorrow." Obito reassured, patting her head. "Plus, I think I'm going to go back to sleep." All of today's events had taken quite a toll on his energy. "I promise I'll be here when you come back."

"Pinky promise?" Her voice was earnest. She held out a tiny finger in front of him.

Obito's larger finger wove around hers.

"Promise." his voice was full of sincerity. She believed it.

"Okay." As their pinkies severed, she slid off his lap and grabbed Granny's hand.

As the two walked out of the door, she waved back until the wall eclipsed the view of his face.

…

When he was sure the two of them were out of earshot and well down the hall, Obito's smile dropped.

"They're gone. You can stop pretending to sleep."

Across the room, Kakashi's eyes shot open. He sat up, stretching out his arms, and leveled on Obito skeptically.

"How long have you known?"

"Since Ryota-san left." The Uchiha shrugged and then turned to stare at his teammate with knitted brows. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Kakashi turned his back to the wall facing away from Obito.

"I didn't want to interrupt."

It was a lame excuse, but he knew Obito would buy it. When he'd first come-to during Obito's checkup, that had been the reason. It seemed almost counter-intuitive to draw attention to himself at that inopportune moment...but after Obito's family had walked in...well, Kakashi had felt a bit awkward. He would never admit that he'd eavesdropped in curiosity to witness the warm dynamic his home lacked, or that he felt a twinge of jealousy at what he didn't have.

"Do you also have a concussion?" Kakashi was shocked out of inner tangent by the question. Rolling back around, he recalled the Doctor who had relayed the symptoms to Obito.

His head didn't hurt much unless a neck cramp counted.

"No. But, I think some of my ribs were bruised."

"Hah! Mine too!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes, at the way Obito was dumbly smiling at him. "Only you would seem excited about matching injuries."

"You know, for someone who's slept for three days, your personality is as sunny as ever."

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock.

"Three days?" He'd suspected they'd been out for some time given their presence in Konoha. But a whole three days?!

Kakashi examined his hand in front of him where Rin had, for the most part, healed the lightning-caused red blisters. It was then he realized why he felt so groggy, why his fatigue extended past normal tiredness. It was a sensation he hadn' t experienced since he was a genin with mediocre chakra control.

Oh. He had definitely overdone it, and that displeased him. Immensely.

Regarding Kakashi with curious eyes, Obito realized he didn't know why Kakashi had been there in the first place. He was a prodigy, unstoppable.

"Wait. What happened to you? How did the fight end?" He had gotten knocked out after all. He couldn't imagine what had transpired after, especially if it landed Kakashi of all people in the hospital. How strong had that enemy-nin been?!

"I," Kakashi blinked, still staring at his outstretched hand. "I tried out a new jutsu...and it used a lot of my chakra reserves…" He would spare him the gory details. "The man who was attacking us…" Obito blinked. "I killed him."

"Killed…" Obito echoed, face contorting to distress. He shouldn't have felt bad about it, the other man had tried to kill him!..but still.

Kakashi closed his fist, remembering the pain that has reverberated down his arm when he's stuck the soil. "Yes. It was necessary. Rule seven: when a peaceful solution cannot be found, take dire measures."

Obito remained surprisingly quiet after that.

"I think," he said after a long silence "we should tell them you're awake."

* * *

Tomorrow came in the blink of an eye.

"Now Obito remember-" Ryota started, pen raised akin to a teacher's chalk. He was responsible for Obito's official release.

"No training. Yeah, I got it." The onyx-haired boy rolled his eyes. "Don't you trust me?"

"Frankly, no." Obito deadpanned. "But only because you Shinobi are all the same."

Ryota could already see it. The second Obito returned home he would disregard his advice and train, and then he'd see the boy back in the hospital. It always happened that way. Shinobi were addicted to their stubborn habits.

"Yeah yeah…" Obito rolled his eyes and turned across the room. "Hear that Kakashi, I can't train for a month. You gonna miss me?"

Kakashi turned his head from staring out the window and gave his teammate a dry glance.

"Nope."

Obito deadpanned.

"Wow."

Honestly, he would kind of miss Kakashi in training in a way. Although they fought, he still had respect for Kakashi's skill, and having him on their team had definitely improved Obito's own training.

And Kakashi would get Rin to himself for a month!

That was enough to make Obito jealous.

"Okay, let's go…" Obito rushed. He wanted to get out of that claustrophobic room ASAP before he could only feel more jealous of Kakashi. Also, fast so that he could spare himself the embarrassment of his current compromised state; that was, in a wheelchair.

When they'd said he'd be pushed until out of the hospital, he'd told Ryota that his legs worked fine, but they'd insisted.

He could almost feel the amused smirk under Kakashi's mask.

"Can I push it?!" Chiyoko asked excitedly. She wanted to help Obito, in any way possible. Naturally, she didn't have the forethought to recognize she was too short and weak for the task.

"That's alright. I'll do it." Ryota volunteered while Obito quietly simmered. "But if you want you can also hitch a ride with your brother. Do you want to?"

Well she couldn't say no to that.

She climbed unto the wheelchair into Obito's lap immediately. He instantly wrapped one arm around her body, locking her into place.

"How precious." Ryota's eyes were practically twinkling. It was sickening.

"Just go…" Obito groaned.

And they were off. Chiyoko on Obito's lap as Ryota pushed and Granny trailed alongside.

Under Ryota's ramblings and explanations on the different aspects of the Konoha Leaf Hospital, Chiyoko's thoughts stewed over the stoic, unwavering expression of a certain Silver-haired Hatake as they'd vacated the room.

"Won't he be lonely…?" Chiyoko pondered aloud.

"Hm?" Obito looked down. "Who?"

"Kashi." She knitted her brows. "No one but Rin came to visit him. Does he have family?"

A puzzled look came over Obito's face as he tried to remember if he'd ever heard Kakashi even mention his family. Thinking about it, it hadn't ever come up, in fact, _never._

"I don't really know." He admitted with a frown. Here he was, the guy's teammate for _years,_ and he barely knew about his personal life. Well, not for a lack of trying. "But don't worry about him. He'll be alright."

He had Rin and Minato after all.

-And Kakashi was _always_ alright.

* * *

...

When they got home, Obito's first destination was the shower.

Chiyoko listened to the hum of the water from outside of the bathroom as she sat in her room.

For the first time in the entire week, she had an undeniable sense of calm.

It allowed her to reflect on her recent thoughts...the one occupying most of her mind namely over her resolution to become a ninja.

Chiyoko looked towards her bed where only weeks ago, she had asked Obito about war and death before he'd left; Where he had said why he wanted to be a ninja. Where Kurenai had taught her how to read her name; where Granny has startled her to wake; and where she'd had so many nightmares that left her feeling helpless.

But not so helpless as not being able to help Obito.

And it was in this helplessness that she'd revealed to Rin that she'd found her answer. She would protect. Becoming a ninja was the route to such a goal.

No longer would she be helpless. She would do so much more. And then, perhaps, she'd even be able to help Obito become Hokage.

For now, she just had to wait.

But of course, who was to say she couldn't start helping her brother now?

The shower had stopped.

After five minutes of pensive silence, the door opened and Obito stepped out, fully clothed.

Chiyoko ambushed him in seconds.

The poor boy didn't even see it coming.

"Nii-san come here!" She said, latching onto his arm and tugging him to the direction of her room. "Come look!"

"Wha-?" He didn't have much energy to protest, and just let the girl drag him along. His shower had been luxurious and left him in a contented trance. "What do you want me to see?"

"Just follow me!"

The journey from the bathroom to her room was a short, three strides.

When she opened the door, she was pleased to see his lips quirk up in a smile.

"A fort?" He said looking down at her through wet locks.

Above her bed, she had strung a thin sheet from her dresser to the floor, creating a canopy over the futon. She'd had to climb up the drawers to achieve the look, and was quite proud of her handiwork. Various pillows were piled around the inviting heap of blankets on the floor, and to top it all off, a stuffed animal sat in the middle of the mess.

"Do you like it?" She asked.

"Of course I like it. But why?"

Chiyoko beamed "It's to help you sleep!"

If she couldn't help him with her strength yet, she could at least help him feel more comfortable.

Obito laughed and smiled down endearingly. He really should've expected it.

"Are you coming in?" She was already halfway into the room now. He followed.

As Obito crawled under the blanket roof, he couldn't help but reflect that a few days ago he'd also been sleeping under a tent, although this one was much more comfortable. Funny how things had rapidly changed.

"This is very comfortable." He said as he sunk into the pillows. "Thank you, Chiyoko."

"You're welcome." She chirped back and took a position beside him. "Now all you have to do is go to sleep!"

Now that was a request he could oblige.

Relaxing further into the blankets, Obito's lids fluttered closed as he placed his arms over his chest. After a few minutes, Chiyoko was almost he had fallen asleep by the slow, steady rise of his chest.

Content with the success of her plan, she also readied for sleep, until Obito's voice rang out again, soft and low.

"You know, on my mission, we also slept in tents."

She bristled. This was the first time he had mentioned his mission. He barely even mentioned it in the hospital, at least, not to her or Granny.

"-Kakashi and I shared one. At night, there were lots of stars." He paused as if envisioning it himself. "A lot more than here."

"More than here? How?" How could there be more stars than Konoha? When they'd left at 3 a.m. there has been a ton that shined brighter than ever. Thousands even.

"Out in the wilderness, there's no light pollution." Tentatively, he reached out towards the blanket roof as if it were the sky. "The light blocks them out here...but there, they shine."

He was wistful now. "And the sunsets, they're amazing." A whisper. "It's a shame though…"

"Hm?" What did he mean by that?

A frown tugged on his lips, but she couldn't see it.

"Nothing."

 _It's a shame that such a sunset had to be ruined._

"Obito." Her voice had dropped to a whisper as well.

"Yeah?"

"I want to be a ninja. Like you."

The statement was so jarring, it snapped him out of sleep. Blinking at the "ceiling', he kept his tone even and inquiring.

"Why?"

He listened intently for her answer.

"Because I want...a fire in me too."

He closed his eyes and sighed. She had remembered his words. He supposed he should have been happy really, she was developing her own Will of Fire...but…

The face of the mysterious ninja, who had exploded the ground beneath his feet came back to mind. The same face of the man who'd tried to murder them; the same one Kakashi had said he'd killed.

He couldn't imagine his little sister on a battlefield.

Chiyoko stalled. Obito hadn't responded. Had she said something wrong?

"Obito-?" She reached out hand and tapped his arm. It seemed to gain his attention.

"Sorry. Yes?" Their eyes met again.

"I want to be a ninja and...," She swallowed, mustering up the confidence to continue, "I want you to help teach me."

Obito choked on his spit.

* * *

 ** _Trying to move this along. Let me know if you're liking the pacing._**

 ** _Also thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, or reviewed. Seeing that people actually enjoy this story is just so amazing and makes me want to write more!_**

 ** _Until next update_**

 ** _-dreamwithinadream262_**


End file.
